‘Too little, too late’: Why there could be a pumpkin shortage in Ontario this fall season

Pumpkins for sale at Smelski Pumpkin Farm near Shakespeare, Ontario. (CTV Kitchener)

This fall, Donna Warner, of Warner Ranch & Pumpkin Farm in Niagara Falls, has been repeating a mantra to herself: “Maybe next year.”

That’s because this year’s pumpkin yield has been the worst she’s seen in 30 years, something Warner credits to a lack of rain and extreme heat.

And while there has been a little rain recently, it’s hasn’t been enough to undo the damage.

“It’s too little, too late,” Warner told CTV News Toronto earlier this week.

“You plan all winter, you buy seeds, you fertilize, get everything ready. There’s so much money and time put into it.”

Warner’s experience appears to be a trend among Ontario’s farmers this season, with pumpkin crops yielding noticeably lower quantities and/or producing smaller sizes.

Heat factors into crop yields

The farmers who spoke with CTV News directly accredit that to the hot, dry summer, though the region and soil conditions also contribute to the success or failure of the seasonal crops.

Connor Miller, of Applewood Farm in Stouffville, is confident that he’ll be sold out of pumpkins by Thanksgiving Monday.

“We’re definitely three quarters of the yield,” he said.

While this year isn’t the worst one Miller has had on record, it’s up there.

He attributes that to weather issues in the spring, when things got warm and then cold and rainy during planting seasons, which lead to seed rot. As a result, Miller’s farm lost close to seven acres of pumpkins.

But he said the region’s calcified soil, which retains moisture better than sandy solid along with consistent rainfall, helped keep him out of the danger zone.

In contrast to his poor pumpkin crop, Miller said his squash yield has been “incredible”, which is usually the other way around.

“I’ve been reading about the pumpkin problems and it’s without a doubt because of the drought,” he said.

Expect smaller sized pumpkins at some farms

But it hasn’t been bad news for all farmers.

For Morris Gervais, owner and farmer at Barrie Hill Farms in Barrie, it wasn’t the yield that was impacted this year so much as the size.

“On some of our lighter, sandier ground, the pumpkins are certainly smaller than normal,” he said.

“There’s lots of pumpkins there but the size isn’t what we’d like to see. Instead of having large jack-o-lantern pumpkins, we have lots of really medium to small size jack-o-lantern pumpkins.”

Gervais said during the summer drought, they chose to save their water for higher value, perennial crops like their apple orchard and berries.

“I didn’t really have enough water to worry about pumpkins,” he said.

“For an annual crop, if it doesn’t work out this year, you’ll plant again next year but you don’t want to lose trees that are established for many years.”

Gervais said his crops that were grown on heavier clay soil, which holds more water, yielded a decent size, though it took longer for the pumpkins to ripen.

“It not my best ever crop but it’s adequate,” he admitted.