If the mythical Great Pumpkin from the Peanuts comic strip was to visit Norfolk, he or she would be in pumpkin heaven
The number of acres of pumpkins in Canada has been on the rise since 2008. The pumpkin acreage increased from 6,720 in 2008 to 12,340 in 2022.
The Canadian Census on Agriculture provides insight into what crops are grown and where. Pumpkin acreage for Norfolk County came in 4,393 in 2021. That was a huge jump from 10 years earlier when only 1,795 acres were grown.
It’s little wonder that Waterford’s fall festival is named for the giant orange vegetable after taking a closer look at the numbers. Of the 11,569 acres of pumpkins grown in 2021, more than a third were grown in Norfolk with 4,393.
Pumpkin producers vary from small operations that operate roadside stands to Scotlynn Sweetpac Growers, which grows thousands of pumpkins. This doesn’t take into account the giant pumpkins that are grown on skids for local fairs and festivals.
Some of the pumpkins are destined for Halloween festivities for decorations or carving for jack-o-lanterns while others are processed for food.
Although Norfolk is big for pumpkins, the crop only accounts for 4.4 per cent of planted field crops by acreage. Pumpkin production generated $33,268,000 in 2021 and grouped together with squash and gourds, pumpkin experts were worth $29,846,000.
Pumpkin harvest starts in late September prior to Halloween and continues through October.
This does raise the question if Norfolk County shows up orange during September when viewed from space or Great Pumpkin heights.