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Extreme summer heat affects local pumpkin crop

Posted at 6:24 PM, Sep 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-18 18:29:08-04

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - It's about that time of year again. Everywhere you go, you'll start to see hints that fall is right around the corner. So, that means pumpkin season is also falling upon us.

But, one local farmer says because of this year's scorching summer, he ran into many problems while growing the pumpkin crop.

"It was a hot, dry summer. We had to do a lot of irrigation, and we had to bring in our own bees to pollinate the crop," says John Biddle.

John Biddle - owner of Great Bridge Pumpkin Patch - says the crop grows better in higher elevation where there's good soil. That's why he says each year, he grows his pumpkins in Southwest Virginia then brings them here when they're ready.

And because every year we're bound to get at least a couple of heat waves, Biddle says he always prepares for the absolute worst.

"We just make sure all of our equipment is working, our wells are functioning properly, and we jump on it before anything bad can happen," says Biddle.

Biddle is expecting to fill his field with thousands of pumpkins come this Friday. He says they will last through Halloween into Thanksgiving.