Local farmers say mild summer yields premium pumpkin crop
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MILAN, Tenn. — As pumpkins pop up across West Tennessee, local farmers are saying the crop is a good one this year. “The crop this year is one of the best crops we’ve had,” Denton Clay Parkins, a farmer, said. Parkins owns Green Acres Farm in Milan. He said they started growing pumpkins more than 20 years ago, and business is good. “We plant over 100 different types of pumpkins and gourds and squash,” he said. Parkins said the summer was not super hot, making for a good harvest this fall. “Ideal pumpkin growing conditions are 70s at night and 80s in the day, but we just had some pretty good conditions,” he said. Growers said it can take anywhere from 90 to 120 days to grow pumpkins, depending on the variety. Blake Brown works at the UT Research and Education Center in Milan. “As always we have challenges growing pumpkins,” he said. “There’s something trying to eat them from the time they come out of the ground until we harvest.” Brown estimates he grew about 115 varieties of pumpkin this year. “Started as a hobby, a few rows in the garden, and it kind of got out of control,” he said. Growers said they got plenty of rain this year, which also helped. “It doesn’t really matter what your managerial skills are,” Parkins said. “The weather will dictate your success and failure in what we do.” Parkins said they plan to harvest pumpkins through Halloween.
