British farmers spooked as summer drought ruins pumpkin crops

British farmers are facing a scare this Halloween as summer droughts caused by consecutive heatwaves have left pumpkin crops barren. The summer of 2026 became the warmest in Britain since records began and led to droughts being declared up and down the country. Now farmers are feeling the gruesome effect of the unseasonable warmth on their crops, which are now struggling to grow and becoming much smaller. Liz Paterson and Andrew King have run a successful pumpkin patch for several years at Ruffins Farm in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. However, this year they face a particularly gruelling Halloween, as the couple are not able to open to the public for pumpkin picking as the drought has devastated their business. In previous years they have grown around 10,000 pumpkins, but this year around only 50 developed. As temperatures soared during the summer, they were forced to decide between watering their dying crops or giving the water to their flock of sheep. Ms Paterson said: 'The pumpkins just didn't grow this year. We could have tried to irrigate, we have got water, but we also have 500 breeding ewes, so we needed to give the water to them. Pumpkin farmers are feeling the gruesome effect of the unseasonable warmth on their crops Ruffins Farm in Bury St Edmunds, normally grows around 10,000 pumpkins, but this year only 50 developed 'I think the weather was too hot as well, they just didn't pollinate, so it just never worked at all really.' The farmer said the drought has been 'horrendous' for their business, both financially and emotionally, as even the grass on their fields was unable to grow. 'Because of the drought we were struggling to feed our sheep and the pumpkins didn't grow at all so it was really upsetting and worrying,' Ms Paterson added. Farmers are fearing a repeat of widespread droughts next year due to the El Niño weather pattern. Ms Paterson said her farm has been forced to make some 'big decisions' as a consequence. She added: 'Because the public know us for pumpkins and love them so much, we will spend the money on buying the seed, and we will drill the pumpkin patch again, but if it doesn't work then we'll have to start thinking this climate doesn't work for pumpkins.' Niall Smith, who works at Picking Patch, a seasonal farm attraction in the New Forest, said it is the second summer where they have struggled with water problems. He said that unlike previous seasons, this year they asked a local family farm to grow their pumpkins for their Halloween events. Mr Smith added: 'We managed to get some pumpkins, but I mean, the biggest one is 50 per cent, 60 per cent smaller than what our normal sizes are. 'And so we've kind of reimagined what we do. We have a pumpkin market, it all looks very pretty, but then we've gone very much into Halloween activities, and we're not just a pick-your-own site.' Mr Smith said pumpkins are 'a lot smaller' this year across the country, adding: 'I know there's a lot of patches that have got very, very disappointing crops, and by half term they'll be out.' He said the people who grow and sell pumpkins do not have 'extra capacity', adding: 'There's no stock. You know, in normal years, if we need to, we can call up and find 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 pumpkins. This year, there's not a chance.' Ross Wright, a farmer from Exeter, said there has been a national shortage of pumpkins, particularly larger ones, this year. He said: 'We're just going to have to grow more acres to get the pumpkins we need for Halloween every year'. READ MORE: The UK's best pumpkin patches revealed: Report by The AA lists the best farms for autumnal fun Do YOU have a story? E-mail [email protected]