Pumpkin day and growing season hit by bad weather

A FOUNDER of an organic farm in Whitchurch has said bad weather this year has made conditions difficult to try and turn a profit.

Tamara Schiopu, 59, who is also director of Tolhurst Organic, was speaking at the 10th annual pumpkin festival in the Hardwick Estate on Sunday.

The annual event included a farmer’s market of produce from the farm, pumpkin patch picking, and a competition. There were also stalls, live music and children’s entertainment throughout the day. Ms Schiopu said: “It’s a chance for us to open the farm gates, welcome people in and show them what life’s like and, hopefully, sell some pumpkins, squashes and some food we’ve made with them.

“It is the first time that it has rained and there is a much smaller crowd than usual but we’re here to celebrate all things 2024. It has been a very difficult year weatherwise with challenges, but we want to share what we have managed to grow with the communities. Sales have dipped in the last two or three years. It could be a combination of factors, such as the cost of living and prices. We haven’t put them up this year even though our costs have gone up. We wish we could have more customers. I think it’s a tough world for all vegetable growers.

“The event is not going to make very much, but it would make about five to 10 per cent of our annual sales if it was a bumper event with a lot of people but we’re hoping to break even.”

Ms Schiopu remains hopeful about the prospects of the farm, noting the hard work her employees put into making a profit “come rain or shine.”

She said: “Our team of around 30 people are fantastic and harvest in all weathers come rain or shine, we’re hoping for some good winter sales of our winter vegetables.

“There’s always next year so we always hope it will be better. We can’t have two or three bad years in a row but who knows. We’re hopeful that it will be more generous for us because this year has been hard to grow and harvest crops.”