It’s no trick: Drought puts scare in local pumpkin crop

Could Tennessee’s drought, which has been scary enough throughout the summer, add another scare to Halloween?

Kenny Harris Farms usually grows hundreds, if not thousands, of pumpkins each year. The large number Harris is used to will likely be cut dramatically this year because of the drought. Without rain, vines are drying and those that haven’t dried out have fewer and smaller pumpkins than last year.

‘It’s hurt them pretty good,’ said Harris. ‘I usually plant about three or four acres. I’m not sure how many will make it. The vines have dried up. The ones that didn’t dry up bloomed but they don’t have pumpkins.’

Although the area has seen a little rain in recent weeks, it may be too late to save the local pumpkins.

‘The little bit of rain we have had has helped some but I don’t know if it will help that much,’ said Harris. ‘I’ll probably have a few but not that many. Some will be sun-blistered from where the sun hit them. It has been a hard year for them. Those that do make it will be smaller.’

The peak growing time has seen very little rain. The planting season for pumpkins is the last week of May till the middle of June. They take about 90 to 120 days to grow and are picked in October once they turn bright orange.

Although the drought has affected the number and size of pumpkins, there will be one favorite local activity that definitely won’t be affected. Cedarwood Pumpkin Patch will be open with fun-filled activities beginning Sept. 22.

For the seventh year in a row, Cedarwood Nursery will be offering activities such a hay ride, corn maze, hay climbs and a petting zoo. At the end of the activities, each child will get a hay ride back to pick their own pumpkin.

A Cedarwood employee said their pumpkin supplier is in good shape and there should be plenty of pumpkins for the kids.