Pumpkin farmers adapt to drought as fall season begins

RALEIGH — Pumpkin season is here, but a lack of rainfall created challenges for farmers growing this year’s crop.

Farmers at Page Farms in Raleigh work year-round to grow their pumpkin crop. This year, they had to replant pumpkins and adjust their growing methods because of the drought conditions.

“Good plants out there ... but we’ve had no rain here, so it’s been tough. But luckily we’ve changed up some planting methods that we had, and we were able to secure some extra moisture in the ground this year to allow our plants to grow well,” said Justin Page of Page Farms.

Page said the changes helped the crop survive despite the dry conditions, but they came at a cost. He said the modified growing methods are expensive and pointed to rising diesel and equipment prices as major factors driving up expenses.

Even with those challenges, the farm was able to produce a healthy pumpkin crop for the fall season.

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