Pumpkins will be plentiful this season in New Jersey, but the cost to purchase one will be higher.

Pumpkin patch
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Most farms in New Jersey will be charging between 55 to 79 cents per pound for a pumpkin, a slight increase over last year's prices.

Higher prices for fertilizer and fuel is the driving force behind the increase, according to Kim DeWolf, co-owner of DeWolf's U Pick Farm in New Egypt.

"When we have to run the irrigation and stuff - diesel fuel and gas and everything keeps going up, so it gets a little bit more expensive," DeWolf said.

Overall, New Jersey's pumpkin crop is in better shape than it was in 2011 and 2013 when too much moisture made the crop susceptible to disease.  Pumpkins like dry conditions, and it's easier for farmers to control how much water a pumpkin receives when there's not an abundance of moisture.

"We haven't had any hurricanes or anything to bring any disease up, so they're looking really good," DeWolf said.

Prices for other vegetables like green beans, potatoes, peppers and eggplants remain stable. "Everything is the same as last year," DeWolf said.

According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 47 percent of Americans plan to decorate their homes and yards for Halloween this year, resulting in $2 billion in sales for things like pumpkins, life-size ghosts and scarecrows.

 

 

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