Heavy rain and increasingly unpredictable climate conditions have left the UK's pumpkin growers with smaller - or in some cases barely any – pumpkins this year.
Jonathan Hewitt is one of the many farmers warning consumers to adjust their expectations after seeing a sharp downturn in his yield. He says he says this is the worst outcome his 10-acre pumpkin patch on the Dunham Massey estate in Altrincham has seen “in all his years”, with almost all of his crops failing.
“In all my years, this was absolutely the worst one for pumpkins. We were hoping for 40,000, but we’ve seen about a 90 per cent failure rate,” he said. “It’s off the scale harsh.”
He highlighted that a combination of wet weather and a surge of slugs exacerbated the already difficult growing conditions – a sentiment echoed by his colleague, Joe Hamer, a fifth-generation farmer from Shrewsbury.
Denne historien er fra October 11, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra October 11, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Trump suspends tariffs on Canada and Mexico again
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