Pumpkin Prices Are Peaking

As Halloween approaches, pumpkins are in high demand for carving, painting, and decorating. If you have not bought your pumpkins yet, you may notice that the prices are a bit higher now. Jaime Ursic serves as Master Gardener County Coordinator for Washington County. She says prices are peaking not because there was a crop shortage, but because Halloween is getting closer. Leah Fronk, a horticulture educator with Penn State Extension, agrees that this was a good year for pumpkins overall. Fronk explains that common diseases that usually affect pumpkin plants were not seen until later in the season, and they were not as bad as previous years. However, Fronk says consumers may notice their pumpkins getting soft quicker, because of the heavy rains that many fields got over the summer.  Local master gardeners are available to answer questions about the pumpkin crop, or gardening in general, here.