Pumpkins take the center stage at Halloween and there have been plenty available in Iowa this year.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Maury Wills says the Iowa growers of the orange staples have had a good season.
“We’ve had beautiful weather in the fall for people to go out and pick pumpkins on these pumpkin farms. So that has been really good for the customers visiting the farms ,as well as for the pumpkin growers,” Wills says. And those looking for a pumpkin to turn into a Jack-o’-lantern have had a good supply to choose from.
“We didn’t have quite as much heat all the way long in the summertime, but it was sufficient to grow a good crop of pumpkins,” Wills says. “Had a fair amount of rain there for awhile in the early part of the summer and that kind of wreaked a little bit of havoc with the pumpkin crop, but all-in-all it’s been a pretty good year.”
Wills says pumpkins are in big demand for Halloween, but says many people know they aren’t just for carving. “They make beautiful decorations in the front of their home. There are some pumpkins that are well suited for table settings, just a great way to kind of spruce up the fall and bring a lot of color. Orange, yellow and white pumpkins are becoming more popular as well,” Wills says.
You can find out more about pumpkins at the Iowa Department of Agriculture website or at www.visitiowafarms.org.
(Reporting by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)