Pumpkin patches fall victim to New England weather

(NECN: Anya Huneke, Colchester, VT) – Today is only the first day of fall, but you may want to think about getting your Halloween pumpkin soon, if you are hoping to find a locally-grown one. This summer’s cool and soggy weather took a toll on some farmers’ pumpkin crops. In a field that normally yields hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins in the fall, Velma Brigante has nothing to show but rotten vines. Mid-September is generally when the Brigantes pick pumpkins… and then sell them at their vegetable stand in Colchester, Vermont, through Halloween… But this year they’ll be closed before October even hits. Unfortunately, they have very little to sell. The Brigantes’ pumpkin crop has been doomed since early this summer… not long after it was planted in May. Pumpkins are among the casualties of this summer’s cold, wet weather. Many farmers have found their crops either didn’t survive…or matured very slowly. Not all pumpkin crops in vermont are bad… paul mazza in essex junction says he has many pumpkins on his farm- and many different varieties of them. but he adds- it wasn’t cheap to grow them this year. Mazza spent extra time and money fertilizing his plants– to expedite the growing process. He says he has not raised the price of his pumpkins… But he does expect to have some disappointed customers come late October. Velma Brigante, meanwhile, has informed her regular customers they’ll have to shop elsewhere for pumpkins. She hopes to be back in the Halloween spirit next year.