2025 has been a prime year for West Michigan pumpkin productivity

OSHTEMOTOWNSHIP,Mich.—Haveyouboughtapumpkintocarveyet? Ifyouhaven’t,don’tworry—you’llhaveplentytopickfromintheKalamazooarea. LittlePistolFarmsownerKatieSchneidersaidthisyearwasparticularlygoodforeveryone’sfavoriteOctobercrop. Schneidersaidtheregionavoidedthedroughttothenorthandtheoverabundanceofraintotheeast. Eventherecentdroughthelpedbypreventingthedirtfromrottingunderneaththepumpkins. Thebrand-newbusinesssaidplantinginthefirstweekofJuneendedupbeingtheperfecttime. “Nomatterwhat,you’regoingtoneed70-degreeweathertogetthemstarted,togetthemtogerminate,”Schneidersaid.“Wehadalittlebitofalatefrost,sowearealittlelategettingpumpkinsin,butthatworkedoutjustfinebecausewehadournice,hotsummer.Andthat’sdefinitelywhattheyneed.Andthenthecoolereveningsfinishthemoffforyou.” Shesayssomepumpkinstake70daystogrow,andothersneedfourmonths. WiththehelpoftheMSUExtension,anenvironmentalou