Farm markets prepare for pumpkin season, inflation/weather conditions create challenges

SALISBURY, Md.- They’re usually orange in color,  ridged, and come in all shapes and sizes. We’re talking pumpkins!

With fall right around the corner, places like Adkins Farm Market in Salisbury are gearing up for the crowds. “We have a lot of women that come in at this time of year that look for that perfect pumpkin and they will last. They should last till thanksgiving,” Owner Tammy Adkins said.

What start as small seeds typically planted in June, later grow into a profit for the Adkins.

Yet, this year you may be paying more for that fall staple thanks to record high inflation. “Of course the price of fuel has affected everything. The fertilizer for his pumpkins has been unbelievable,” Adkins said.

“It seems as though everything has gone up and of course parents see that in the grocery store so its affected us as well.”

The Adkins tells 47ABC to keep serving the perfect pumpkin, they’ll need the perfect weather conditions.  “And we didn’t have much rain in August, so the hot weather where it gets above 90 degrees we didn’t get the pollination we should’ve got,” Farmer & Owner Gaylon Adkins said.

“So we’re looking at about probably a half a crop of pumpkins.”

We’re told the market will still have a pretty good selection with some outside help. “I’ve already bought a few pumpkins from upper Delaware and I’ll probably get some from out of Pennsylvania. I really need to finish picking my field to see just what I got but I know I probably will not have enough,” Adkins said.

Now, it’s harvest time!  As the Adkins prepare for their 17th fall,  despite some challenges they’re excited to keep making families smile one pumpkin at a time. “It’s just the knowledge we’ve had through the years of every experience that we’ve been through and we really enjoy the customers. We have repeat families and it’s so amazing to watch how they’ve grown in these 17 years,” Adkins said.

Due to the tight inventory, the Adkins advise shopping for your pumpkins sooner rather than later.

They also want to give you at home a useful tip, which is to wash your pumpkins in bleach water . We’re told this kills any bacteria to help them last longer.