The weather is causing problems for Chester County farmers who rely on pumpkin-picking season for a significant part of their revenue, writes Bethany Ao for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It is also making it tougher for buyers to find the perfect pumpkin for jack-o’-lantern carving.

Carolyn Matthews Eaglehouse of Milky Way Farm in Chester Springs noticed things were not going well in late June.

“The weather this summer was just goofy,” she said. “There were some super-hot days and also lots and lots of rain, and generally speaking, pumpkins do not do well in rain.”

Milky Way Farm is one of several farms struggling this year. Sugartown Strawberries in Malvern lost nearly 8.5 acres of pumpkins, which equals tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue for owner Bob Lange.

Lange called this the worst pumpkin harvest in more than three decades, thanks to the fungus and diseases caused by the unrelenting rain.

“A pumpkin is like a sponge,” he said. “It can only take so much water, and after that, it’s going to start oozing and rotting.”

Read more about the pumpkin shortage in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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