Marietta (WSYR-TV) -- We’re seeing a lot of rain as of late, but this is certainly something we didn’t see a lot of this summer in Central New York. Because of the mostly dry conditions, pumpkin season is starting a bit earlier this year.
The Diana family is taking advantage of the early arrival of pumpkin season.
“Once the pumpkin is on the vine and the fruit sets…all this heat and dry weather is what ripens these pumpkins, so we’re seeing the pumpkins ripened a week or two weeks earlier,” said Tim’s Pumpkin Patch owner Erica Leubener.
The hot and drier conditions also mean more of these medium sized pumpkins and less of these large ones, usually 30-40 pounds.
“For the next two to three weeks, the large ones are going to be going pretty fast,” said Leubener.
While the bigger ones might be harder to find, there are 70,000 pumpkins at Tim’s Pumpkin Patch waiting and ready – a good yield considering the lack of rain this summer. Despite a dry growing season, the little rain we did get, came at just the right times.
“The colors are going to be so vibrant and the pumpkin squash, the specialty pumpkin, even the Indian corn, the colors are going to be so vibrant,” explained Leubener.
Tim’s Pumpkin Patch usually sees their biggest crowds on Columbus Day weekend. This year it’s earlier, in the first week of October.
