Extreme heat in Arizona impacting pumpkin patches
TUCSON, Ariz. (CNN, KYMA/KECY) - It may almost be October, but triple digit temperatures continue to persevere in parts of Arizona.
The extreme heat isn't just impacting people, it is also having an impact on crops, but one pumpkin patch owner has been fighting this battle for over a decade.
John Post, owner of the Marana Pumpkin Patch has been doing this for the past 14 years. He said that while pumpkins don't love the heat, they can withstand it.
However, the real difficulty comes when you first plant the pumpkins as extreme heat can immediately kill them.
"So that plant will just sit there, growing. It grows, but it doesn't produce pumpkins until it's a hundred or less. So generally, that's about September 1st," Post explained.
Dr. Jesse Woodson, an Associate Professor with the University of Arizona's School of Plant Sciences, explained that most plants are good at tolerating the heat, definitely better than people, but only up to a certain point.
"Every plant still has its limit, and Arizona is incredibly hot, and we're having a very hot month, and that is very harmful to plants and their cells," Dr. Woodson expressed.
Despite losing a few of their plants to the heat during the summer, Post is confident what they have now will last through their fall festivities thanks to an underground drip system that keeps the pumpkins cool on the really hot days.
Combined with the abundance of shade provided by the bushy plants, and leaving the pumpkins on their vines for as long as possible, it should allow the pumpkins to grow to their usual size.
"There are a lot of times where we'll cut pumpkins, and leave them in the field for our customers. But this year, we'll probably wait to make sure the weather is suitable for that," Post shared.
Woodson added that the impact of extreme heat on the crops is something that Arizona will have to get used to, especially with a shrinking water supply.
