TOPEKA (KSNT) – Pumpkin season is fast approaching, but one local farmer said this year’s extreme heat has taken a toll on his crops.
Staff at Shively Farms are expecting fewer pumpkins than last year following recent hot weather near the end of August that caused some pumpkins to mature too quickly. Weeds and bugs also contributed to this year’s pumpkin crop.
“So, the pumpkin crop, I had a great one last year,” said Shively Farms owner Jay Shively. “This year it’s going to be really tough. So, if you guys are looking for pumpkins, I would get them early because we had that extreme heat and the end of August that it really knocked them back for yield wise. We do have some nice pumpkins, but it’s just not going to be as plentiful as last year.”
Despite the hot weather setbacks, Shively said there are new attractions at the farm this year for guests to enjoy.
“This year we’ve added apple cannons and paintball corral,” Shively said. “We’ve got a few new yard games, we’ve got a 72-foot tube slide. That’s going to be a lot of fun. So, that and then we’ve added a couple other things that we haven’t quite released yet, but we’ll be showing you guys soon.”
Rare big cat from critically endangered species joins Topeka Zoo family
You can find the Shively Farms Pumpkin Patch at 5840 SE Croco Rd. in Berryton southeast of Topeka. You can get in touch with Shively Farms by calling 785-633-7374, emailing shivelyfamilyfarm@gmail.com or by heading to its website.
For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf
