It’s that season when everyone is on the lookout for the most perfectly round and vibrant orange pumpkins to carve with spooky faces or to use in pies.
However, farmers in Newfoundland and Labrador are reporting that erratic summer weather is affecting the growth of their pumpkins.
“The climate is shifting. Each year can be drastically different,” remarked Wandalee Porter, a farmer from Conception Bay South.
Farmers noted that this summer was particularly chilly and damp, especially when compared to 2025, a year when the province experienced record-breaking heat and minimal rainfall.
Consequently, Lester’s Farm in St. John’s indicated that their pumpkin harvest is about two weeks behind schedule this year.
Last month, while gesturing towards a field of green pumpkins, owner Chris Lester said, “Here we are at the end of September. Typically, we wouldn’t have any pumpkins left in the field at this time.”
Lester also faced difficulties getting seeds planted at the beginning of the summer.
“It was so cold that it felt like they weren’t growing at all. Even when we reached July,” he explained.
Chris Lester, owner of Lester’s Farm, stated that the unfavorable weather caused a delay of about two weeks in their pumpkin harvest. (Abby Cole/CBC)
Porter mentioned that her pumpkin patch also faced challenges.
She planted roughly 3,000 seeds but reported that only a few hundred actually developed.
“I may have planted a bit too early. The cold snap we experienced in the spring resulted in the loss of some of my pumpkins. We had a few casualties,” she noted.
On a positive note, both farmers indicated that the pumpkins that did grow are of excellent quality.
“They are of impressive size due to the adequate moisture we received over the summer,” Lester stated.
Porter also observed a significant contrast this year compared to last.
“Last year, we had a lot of pumpkins, but their quality was inferior. This year, the quality is exceptional, but we have a lower quantity,” Porter explained.
Climate Change Leading to Unpredictable Harvests
Joel Finnis, a climatologist from Memorial University, attributes these pumpkin challenges to climate change.
Joel Finnis, climatologist at Memorial University, states that climate change is likely to introduce more unpredictability for Canadian farmers. (Abby Cole/CBC)
Finnis noted that the stark contrast in weather between the summers of 2025 and 2026 is indicative of a changing climate — as temperatures rise, weather patterns become more variable.
This unpredictability poses significant challenges for agricultural practices.
“It’s difficult to plant for a season that you’ve never experienced before, and we’re increasingly encountering seasons that are unfamiliar,” he remarked.
Regarding the late harvest at Lester’s Farm, Finnis explained that this too is a sign of climate change.
“This is one of the major outcomes we have anticipated from climate change for quite some time. The cooler temperatures of fall will be delayed more and more,” he stated.
Though this could lead to a more abundant harvest later in the season, Finnis warned that it could also heighten the risk of pests.
“If we witness an extended season from earlier springs to later autumns, we may face issues with new pest species, as insect pests will have a longer timeframe to complete their life cycles and potentially thrive in the following spring,” he explained.
Finnis emphasized that this unpredictability will result in ongoing struggles for farmers.
For Porter, this includes challenges with pumpkins.
“In the past, we didn’t need to do much to help them grow. Now, we have to water them extensively,” she noted.
“All these traditional practices we relied on must be reevaluated, and we need to rethink our planting methods and how we sustain our crops.”
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