Why the crop is small

Halloween squashes have come out much smaller than usual, and experts say the reason is the drought that has held over England for most of the year. Data points to what could be the worst harvest on record, as farmers struggled to irrigate their crops.

Guy Barter, chief horticulturalist at the Royal Horticultural Society, put the problem down to the fruit's makeup:

• Pumpkins are 90% water and need a lot of water to grow
• This year's drought made watering sufficiently very hard to achieve in practice

"Pumpkins are on the small side this year unless heavily watered. Such drought makes watering sufficiently very difficult to accomplish in practice," Barter said.

Growers respond

Guy Singh-Watson, founder of organic veg box company Riverford, said it was unsurprising that Halloween pumpkins are smaller after such a hot, dry summer, since they are mostly water. He questioned the obsession with giant carving pumpkins, arguing that growing a large watery squash only to throw it away is wasteful: any crop carries an environmental cost, and producing waste that feeds no one makes little sense.

Riverford is now selling a box of small colourful squashes as halloween squash alternatives, including crown prince, red onion, sweet lightning, futsu and stripetti. Singh-Watson suggested painting a face on a squash rather than carving it, saying squashes offer as much decorative potential with considerably more flavour.

Quality may hold up

Barter noted that heat and drought stress made the fruits ripen earlier than usual, but the crop's dry matter content and rind hardness are both excellent, so it should store well. He added that commercial pumpkins become worthless the day after Halloween, which he called a pity, as they make lovely soups until the new year, when tastier winter squashes take over.

Trials in the north

At RHS Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, garden manager Ali Goding said pumpkins struggle in heavy clay soil during drought, so the team trialled growing them in a compost cake that retains moisture, humidity and warmth. The results were described as fantastic, with benefits for wildlife too.

Goding added that the extra heat worked out well for the northern garden, which is normally a bit cool, damp and too far north for pumpkins to develop a full flavour.