One look at the display of pumpkins and the shiny red barn at Schwabe Pumpkins, you may not know the type of year they’ve had.
But this summer, they’ve been at odds with mother nature.
In June a storm ripped apart their barn and tossed some of the pieces more than a mile away, and this summer they’ve been grappling with a difficult growing season.
“The crop is a lot less than what we normally get, about a third of what we usually get off,” owner Melody Schwabe said.
“The summer was super hot and no rain probably until about August for us. We spent the summer rebuilding the farm and watering the field as best we could.”
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Schwabe thought this may be the first season where they wouldn’t have any pumpkins to sell, calling it the most challenging year they’ve ever had.
“We’ve had to dip into our own savings a little bit, not just the business’ but we want to keep doing it. Our customers are what drives us,” she said.
This has been the second wettest September on record, with more than three times the monthly average rainfall totals hitting Winnipeg.
The city saw 153.1 mm of rain fall while the average is 45.5 mm.
Last year the business also took a hit, with difficult temperatures making the growing season challenging.
“The rain definitely does affect us. When you’re running an outdoor business it’s the weather that helps you sell your stuff. No one wants to be out here when it’s freezing.”
Schwabe hopes the fall temperatures will heat up so customers can visit the pumpkin patch.
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