Pumpkins are used for a number of fall activities — decorating, carving, displaying — but you might have noticed a significant lack of them in recent years. Unfortunately, climate change has had an impact on pumpkin-carving festivities. Their fragility, alongside extreme weather, could end up bringing about a drastic shortage. What’s worse, discarded pumpkins — especially ones ending up in a landfill — are also contributing to the problem. Read on to learn more about this situation and what you can do.

The Pumpkin Shortages

Lately, there have been reports of worse farming conditions than landowners have previously seen. Local farms are having to cancel important events, such as pumpkin patch picking, because they don’t have enough crops to offer these services.

In the case of Benton Farm — a popular farm for pumpkins — it planted roughly 3,500 pumpkins, but only about 1,300 actually grew and sprouted. Cases like this are popping up everywhere, so the fall season might have to cut back on its pumpkin frenzy. Farmers are reporting they have had to raise prices to compensate for the lower number of pumpkins, but this may still not be enough for them to make a profit.

Why These Gourds Are Fragile

Pumpkins are naturally sensitive to weather conditions. Conditions like frosts, high heat and extremely wet periods can hurt their growth. Farmers take extra care in planting and maintaining these crops due to their fragile nature.

The primary concern regarding pumpkin farming and climate change currently is the occurrence of extreme wet conditions. Other plants and even trees, particularly in low-lying areas, are threatened by heavy rain and pooling waters. Plants, shrubs and trees stuck in completely saturated soils when frost comes can even suffer frost crack and die. Favorite fall gourds are no less susceptible. 

If it rains too much during the most critical growth or harvest periods, some crops will die off. Farmers are doing all they can to combat this issue — including adopting more sustainable agricultural practices — but it may not be enough.

Every year, they deal with poorer growing conditions and lower crop yields. Despite the financial losses they suffer, regulations are not improving significantly. If conditions worsen, these local farms might be unable to keep growing their fall gourds.

Ways You Can Help

The most immediate way to help keep pumpkins in stock is not to discard them. When you put them in the trash, they end up in a landfill. As they decay, they begin to release a gas called methane — a prominent greenhouse gas that aids in warming the Earth alongside carbon dioxide. This increases the negative effects of climate change, which will eventually continue to harm the pumpkin crops. Essentially, decaying pumpkins contribute to the issue that’s killing them.

There are many things you can do instead of throwing your old pumpkins away once winter starts to set in. Composting is a great way to get rid of any discarded food in an environmentally safe way.

You can also help by supporting your local farms. Even if they don’t offer as many pumpkin-filled activities this year, attend what they’re offering to sustain their businesses. Hopefully, your efforts will keep pumpkins around.

Eating your pumpkins is another way to avoid decomposition. Roasting the seeds actually provides your body with mood-benefiting magnesium, making it a healthy option as well. Other ways to deal with excess pumpkins are feeding them to certain animals or donating them. Just don’t throw them away!

Overall, it’s vital to find greener ways to live, outside of just helping pumpkins. Small efforts like using totes instead of plastic bags, recycling soda cans instead of throwing them away or carpooling to pick up children from school are all helpful ways families can fight this issue. If you want to take it a step further, contact your local legislators and see if they are considering regulations with climate change in mind.

Real-World Experience With Climate Change

While the pumpkin shortage is a growing issue, farmers are finding ways to combat it. One method is crop rotation, which involves moving the location of where pumpkins are planted every year to keep the soil healthier for longer and to confuse pests by continuously changing their targets.

Another way they maintain healthy soil is by planting cover crops, such as clover, during the winter. These crops fertilize the soil and enrich it for the next planting season, when the pumpkin seeds will be planted. Adding compost is another natural method to enrich the soil’s nutrients. Since pumpkins are sensitive to many factors, keeping their growing medium as replenished as possible is key to ensuring a more abundant crop.

Pests are an issue too, especially since new species are popping up in unwanted places and damaging the ecosystem of that area. To control them more naturally and prevent further pollution, farmers are inviting insects into their fields to eat these harmful pests and keep them from negatively affecting pumpkin growth.

While some farmers face the issue of too much water, many in other regions also struggle with drought due to extreme weather changes. Some pumpkin varieties have naturally evolved to need less water than traditional ones. For example, seminole pumpkin, mixta squash, as well as mustang and challenger varieties. Farmers have begun planting these variants and other climate-adaptive varieties, which are beneficial for areas experiencing droughts, as they may have a better chance of survival. Another method of combating droughts is drip irrigation, which conserves water by applying water directly to the plant’s roots, rather than overtopping them.

Brands on Climate Change

If you feel like companies introduce their fall-themed menus and special items earlier every year, you’re not alone. Many people long for the colder months, which they’re not getting due to rapidly rising temperatures.

Brands know this, so they profit from this desire with a premature fall menu. Their sales do increase, so it’s a good sales technique, but while you sip your pumpkin-themed drink at the end of the summer, remember the very real danger pumpkins are in.

Keeping the Fall Pumpkin Traditions Alive

No one wants to see pumpkins die out, but this might become the reality without real change. Enjoy carving pumpkins with your kids while disposing of them properly, and try to make choices that bring about real change. With increased awareness, the implementation of new farming techniques and the sustainable ways you can participate, pumpkins might yet be saved.