Pumpkins - Missed opportunity
Discussion
Farm local to us planted three fields of pumpkins this year. It was interesting to see them growing and ripening over the last few months. These things grow fast!
However, they barely seem to have harvested any of them. As Halloween approached I thought they were leaving things late and then it became clear they werent doing anything to get them in - All the wooden crates and the trailer disappeared on Monday and today this was the field
Not sure what went wrong for them. Possibly a lack of labour locally to pick them or was there a glut on the market? Seems such a shame that they weren't used, but intrigued as to what happens next:
Will the sheep or pigs / cows eat pumpkins?
Would an anaerobic digester be able to use them?
Do they plough them in?
Or do they just leave them to rot where they are. Suspect that will get a bit smelly...
However, they barely seem to have harvested any of them. As Halloween approached I thought they were leaving things late and then it became clear they werent doing anything to get them in - All the wooden crates and the trailer disappeared on Monday and today this was the field
Not sure what went wrong for them. Possibly a lack of labour locally to pick them or was there a glut on the market? Seems such a shame that they weren't used, but intrigued as to what happens next:
Will the sheep or pigs / cows eat pumpkins?
Would an anaerobic digester be able to use them?
Do they plough them in?
Or do they just leave them to rot where they are. Suspect that will get a bit smelly...
Southerner said:
I considered doing the pumpkin picking patch thing this year, but I thought probably they’d mostly all be drowned and rotting given how wet it’s been - maybe that was the issue here?
BBC Breakfast was talking to a pumpkin farmer last week. Once they've initially been planted, loads of water is a good thing apparently. He said it was a bumper year.I would assume that the farmer couldn't access the field with the required machinery to harvest them due to the waterlogged ground.
I don't think I've seen so many PYO pumpkin fields as I have this year but I guess that they aren't as attractive when they are floating in 6 inches of mud.
I don't think I've seen so many PYO pumpkin fields as I have this year but I guess that they aren't as attractive when they are floating in 6 inches of mud.
Mikebentley said:
Such a waste.
I was thinking the same, I wonder how many people made use of the pumpkins other than to carve them for decoration. Seems a massive waste of growing space. I make everything from curry to pie with the squash I grow. I might sound like a party pooper, but wasting food doesn't sit well with me.dci said:
I would assume that the farmer couldn't access the field with the required machinery to harvest them due to the waterlogged ground.
I don't think I've seen so many PYO pumpkin fields as I have this year but I guess that they aren't as attractive when they are floating in 6 inches of mud.
Photos from people I have on Facebook look really depressing. They may have had a good time but it didn't do a great job of selling the idea to others. Walking around in mud half way up to your knees amongst a field of pumpkins to find the 'right one'. Then you go into Tesco and there are 100s of them to choose from.I don't think I've seen so many PYO pumpkin fields as I have this year but I guess that they aren't as attractive when they are floating in 6 inches of mud.
The field looks in pretty good condition all in all. The gateway is very muddy, but no problem for a tractor. They weren’t doing PYO.
And the pumpkins themselves still look in good condition. Just seems such a shame to see them being left in the field.
They do have a small farm shop but would never have been able to more than a tiny fraction of the harvest into it. It is the first year they’ve grown them although they did buy a load in last year to sell.
I’m guessing it was a great year for growing pumpkins and there just wasn’t sufficient demand. Really feel for them.
And the pumpkins themselves still look in good condition. Just seems such a shame to see them being left in the field.
They do have a small farm shop but would never have been able to more than a tiny fraction of the harvest into it. It is the first year they’ve grown them although they did buy a load in last year to sell.
I’m guessing it was a great year for growing pumpkins and there just wasn’t sufficient demand. Really feel for them.
soad said:
Interesting article - thanks. So it seems they can be used as feed which is good. Those sheep won’t go hungry…I understand it takes time and money to plant these pumpkins, but I think they are seriously overpriced. Well, especially in my area - I am all for supporting local farmers, but maybe people just don't want to pay the prices I've seen at these farms, definitely more expensive than last year, when you can get a decent pumpkin from Aldi for 1/3 the price.
Southerner said:
I considered doing the pumpkin picking patch thing this year, but I thought probably they’d mostly all be drowned and rotting given how wet it’s been - maybe that was the issue here?
There was a farmer on the radio saying Pumpkin picking is worth £25k an acre. Can't imagine why you'd leave that money in the field.That said the one I was forced to visit was a proper bog. Cars being pulled out of the carpark by the farmer.
Farmer round here does a pyo week in a field right by an A road with a handy bit of parking right next to it. One of my mates is a teacher at the local agricultural college & does casual work for local farmers, he told me it's such a money spinner that this guy buys pallets of pumpkins at the wholesaler & scatters them round the field each night. Nothing if not enterprising.
7 5 7 said:
I understand it takes time and money to plant these pumpkins, but I think they are seriously overpriced. Well, especially in my area - I am all for supporting local farmers, but maybe people just don't want to pay the prices I've seen at these farms, definitely more expensive than last year, when you can get a decent pumpkin from Aldi for 1/3 the price.
The local tight arse "farm park" tossers do just this near to us. Hoy a load of supermarket bough pumpkins in a field and charge the townies a tenner for the pleasure of dragging their screaming kids through the s
te to put one in a wheelbarrow.We go to a place in Northumberland that do grow them-they were ace as usual and we're down to our last batch of pumpkin soup off them today
They do the works though, strawberries and raspberries in the summer, goosegogs, blackcurrants, plums etc.To the OP, may be soil dependant but a couple of farmers around our way grow turnips just to feed the sheep on. Looks a bit weird sometimes, seeing them out in the clart and not grass but they look happy enough chomping through them.
Silvanus said:
Mikebentley said:
Such a waste.
I was thinking the same, I wonder how many people made use of the pumpkins other than to carve them for decoration. Seems a massive waste of growing space. I make everything from curry to pie with the squash I grow. I might sound like a party pooper, but wasting food doesn't sit well with me.- savethepumpkins
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