In southeast Ohio, the brilliance of fall is often closely related to the presence of a myriad of pumpkins. But this year, many of the city's doorsteps will remain empty.
According to Guysville resident Tom Weekley, a 20-year pumpkin farmer, the excessive rainfall of the spring and summer proved deadly to the normally abundant pumpkin crop.
The seeds didn't germinate well in the spring and then in the summer the blossoms didn't pollinate well
Weekley said. We normally wholesale the pumpkins but this year we can only do retail. We were also planning on having a pick-your-own pumpkin patch and a corn maze but production was just too low.
While many pumpkin farmers were left empty handed at fall's arrival, some large-scale growers salvaged about a fourth of their normal harvest.
Athens farmer Jay Proffitt said the economic effects of farming a fruit or vegetable are always relative to the scale of production. For my farm
other crops made up for the loss. If you just raise pumpkins
though
this would've been real bad for ya
he said.
Those that are able sell their supply at the Athens Farmer's Market, held every Wednesday and Saturday morning in the parking lot of the University Mall on East State Street.
Though profits will be exceptionally low this year, many farmers insist they will continue farming pumpkins in the future to fulfill a love that runs deeper than monetary value.
For Weekley, pumpkins are used for purposes other than basic carving. His naturally grown pumpkins, some weighing up to 550 pounds, have been used for purposes ranging from soup pots to roof decorations. In the winter, Weekley has stacked and painted several of his larger pumpkins to form giant snowmen.
Cinda Bartlett, an Athens resident who produces a range of crops at her home, emphasized the joy that many farmers receive from selling the fruit. I think they're the most fun to sell. When I go up to the Farmers Market
the kids always get real excited when they see them. It's fun to watch
she said.
Proffitt said the Athens area boasts about six pumpkin farmers, all of whom share the tradition of the trade with Native American farmers of hundreds of years ago.
According to the History Channel Web site (http://www.historychannel.com), since the inclusion of the fruit in the Thanksgiving celebration at Plymouth Rock in 1621, pumpkins have become a virtual symbol of the fall harvest in America.
Local growers express a certain pride at their contribution to this longstanding tradition.
They're centerfold to the feeling of fall. Everything else revolves around the pumpkins. When you farm them
you start to see the leaves in the background
Weekley said. They're not just a Halloween thing; they're really a fall festival thing.
