Bizarre weather explanation for gigantic Halloween pumpkins this autumn

01 October 2023 , 20:58

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Freshly harvested pumpkins are sorted and stored at Oakley Farms near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire (Image: PA)

Halloween pumpkins will be frighteningly large thanks to the scarily soggy summer.

Farmers say warm weather in June followed by July and August downpours helped provide a bumper crop. Steve Whitworth, commercial manager at Oakley Farms, near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, which grows five million pumpkins a year, said: “We had a pretty good growing season for pumpkins this summer with a really hot June, which helped the plants along.

“The rainy July and August may not have been great for sun lovers or barbecue fans but for pumpkins, it was perfect.” Tesco pumpkin buyer Lucy Moss said: “The good news for Halloween coming from our main pumpkin growers is the fruit will be larger than normal in all size ­variations this year.

Last year plenty of shoppers were searching for pumpkin recipes (PA)

“This year we have six sizes and each category will be larger than usual so shoppers will definitely get value for money. “We expect the carving variety to continue to be the most popular.” Last year there was a tenfold increase in people searching for pumpkin recipes in September and October, the supermarket said.

Ms Moss added: “It’s great from a food waste point of view.”

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