According to Dr. Wade H. Elmer, Plant Pathologist at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, “The pumpkin crop in Connecticut is shaping up very nicely. With the exception of hot weather in July that suppressed pollinators and delayed fruit set, we have had very few problems from weather or pests. Foliar disease pressure was relatively minimal this year and there have been no reports of widespread root, crown, or fruit rot problems.”
Shelton’s farmer Terry Jones says “If you asked me how the crop looked on August 1st, I would have said ‘lousy’! But the last two months have brought ideal growing conditions – in fact it is one of the highest quality pumpkin crops we have seen in the last 30 years.”
To celebrate the American Cowboy theme at Jones Family Farms in Shelton, some new breeds are part of the 2013 ‘roundup’. “An amazing long and thick stemmed variety, with hereditary lines in the traditional heirloom Connecticut field pumpkin, is really wowing our visitors” commented Jamie Jones, who does all the farm varietal testing and selection of seeds.
And then there are the ‘pink ladies’. The ‘Porcelain Doll’ variety was developed by the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation to raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer. The Jones Family will be contributing half of the pink pumpkin sales revenue to the ‘Valley Goes Pink’ initiative of Griffin Hospital.
According to Connecticut’s Department of Agriculture’s spokesperson Linda Piotrowicz, “Connecticut’s pumpkin farmers have worked hard to bring in a great crop. Our families can help celebrate the harvest by getting out to enjoy and visit our state’s many beautiful pumpkin patches.”
Jones Family Farms is located in Shelton, Connecticut, off Route 110. For more information regarding hours of operation, picking locations, picking tips, and other information, visitors can call the Farmer Jones crop info line at (203) 929-8425, visit the Jones website at www.jonesfamilyfarms.com/farm/pumpkins, their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jonesfamilyfarms, or follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jonesfamilyfarm.
Griffin Hospital’s Valley Goes Pink community effort.
http://www.griffinhealth.org/Ways-to-Give/The-Valley-Goes-Pink.aspx
Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation farms
http://pinkpumpkinpatch.org/faqs/view.asp?a=3260&q=399070
CT. Dept of Agriculture, Pick-your-own