09/06/2000

Even Pumpkin Patches Haven't Escaped the Wrath of Summer's Severe Drought

AUBURN, Ala.—This summer's record-breaking drought may wind up carving a chunk of profit out of some Alabama pumpkin patches.

For Alabama's 2000 pumpkin crop, especially from the central part of the state southward, extremely hot, dry weather in July and August is translating into fewer pumpkins, smaller pumpkins, and pumpkins that are ripening too early.

"Growers who don't have irrigation are obviously the most adversely impacted," says Joe Kemble, associate professor of horticulture at Auburn University. "They just aren't going to have much to show in a few weeks when pumpkin season arrives."

Continuing a trend seen in Alabama in the past 10 years, the number of acres planted to pumpkins increased this year, to an estimated 1,100 acres. That's up about 10 percent from 1999. But Kemble predicts that at least a portion of this year's acres won't be harvested because of the drought.

"Planting was done from late June through mid-July, and on non-irrigated acres, it was so dry that a lot of the plants never even set fruit," Kemble says. "With pumpkins, you should never let the soil get completely dry, and this year, that has been next to impossible for growers whose crops aren't irrigated."

Kemble estimates that drip irrigation systems, ideal for pumpkins because they apply water only to the soil immediately around the roots, are installed on only about one-fourth of Alabama's pumpkin acreage. For a pumpkin producer, irrigation is one of the best investments that can be made in a crop.

"It costs $200-$300 per acre to install a drip system, and it's definitely worth it because it's going to mean bigger pumpkins," Kemble says. "If you produce 3,000 to 4,000 pumpkins per acre, and you sell large ones for a dollar more than small ones, you can see irrigation offers a big return."

In recent years, pumpkin farming has come on strong as an alternative crop in Alabama agriculture. Growers typically fall into one of two categories: full-time farmers who are seeking to diversify and find an additional source of revenue and part-time farmers, many for whom pumpkins represent their first attempts at production agriculture.

In either category, most Alabama pumpkin producers market their crop straight from the farm, direct to consumers. Some do that via roadside stands; others, by what's known as entertainment farming, where customers can come to the patch, pick their own pumpkins, and enjoy such activities as hayrides, seed-spitting contests, petting zoos and sheep-herding demonstrations. Like the name says, it's entertainment.

"Before anyone who's considering growing pumpkins buys the first seed, they have got to determine whether there is a market and how they're going to reach that market," Kemble says. "If they think they want to go the entertainment route, they need to visit pumpkin patches in and out of the state, to get a grip on how much work is involved in making that a success."

The popularity that several of these pumpkin patches around the state have enjoyed in recent years may lead some folks to believe that they can jump into pumpkin farming as an easy way to make loads of money. Those folks had better think again, Kemble says.

"The returns can be substantial, but for a couple of months, it's very intensive work in terms of time and labor," he says. "Someone who has a full-time job and plans to do this part time had better make sure they're up to the challenge."

Whether it's one acre or 100 acres, a pumpkin crop demands a great deal of attention. Pumpkins are susceptible to a number of insects and to damaging diseases like powdery mildew, so a grower must be ever vigilant for the first signs of problems and be prepared to attack such problems in the early stages.

Pumpkin farming can be back-breaking work, too. Since few herbicides are available for use in weed control in pumpkins, a great deal of old-fashioned hoeing is required. And, come harvest time, the only pumpkin picker out there is the human hand.

In an effort to help make pumpkin farming more sustainable and more profitable for Alabama growers, Kemble and other horticulture researchers at Auburn have identified this big orange cousin to squash as a research priority. Among projects going on now, researchers are evaluating the effects of cover crops on weed control in pumpkins, the performance of new pumpkin varieties and powdery mildew-resistant cultivars and the effectiveness of certain spray programs against disease.

A good source for information about Alabama's expanding pumpkin industry is the Alabama Pumpkin Growers Association, (256) 383-4831.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu

09/06/00