Highmoor Farm keeps pumpkin and apple season alive in Maine

Pumpkin season starts at the University of Maine’s Highmoor Farm early in June. David Handley, a small fruit and vegetable specialist at University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and Mark Hutton, associate professor of vegetable crop, watch as the pumpkins grow, taking calls along the way from farmers in Maine who may be experiencing their own issues with the crop.

Handley said drought was the biggest challenge for pumpkin growers this year. The season started off cold and wet, then experienced drought throughout the summer.

“Pumpkins are not a crop that is typically going to be happy in Maine, because it has more southern origins,” Handley said. “They’re from central South America. So up here, we are really pushing it to try to get a crop in the short growing season that we have.”

Farmers aim to find the balance between planting a seed in warm-enough soil and giving the pumpkins time to fully mature. Many, like Estes Blueberry Farm in Buxton — which also harvests and wholesales three acres of pumpkins, have invested in irrigation to mitigate inconsistent rainfall.

Highmoor Farm, located between Augusta and Lewiston in Monmouth, is one of several locations that comprise the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station (MAFES), which leads research and initiatives to help farmers across the state.

As seed companies constantly push their latest variety releases, Highmoor specialists conduct trials every year to help farmers know which pumpkin varieties will and won’t perform well in Maine. “We take the lumps, so the farmers don’t have to,” Handley said. 

The farm also compiles data to educate growers about details such as which varieties have the deepest orange hues, the strongest stems, the shallowest ridges, the largest average weight and the most plentiful growing season.

Matt Pellerin, owner of Treworgy Family Orchards in Levant, said he calls Handley several times per week at certain points of the year. Treworgy has a corn maze, apple orchard, pumpkin patch, fall raspberries, hay rides and a cafe that sells cider, hot chocolate and doughnuts during the fall. Pellerin, a second generation farmer, said he asks Handley about signs of disease, spray treatment and water supply during the growing season.

“For a farmer, having somebody that you can call and ask questions that has broad experience and knowledge is really helpful,” Pellerin said. “You’re kind of out here doing this on your own.”

Handley, who has been working at UMaine Extension for 42 years, is an invaluable resource to farmers across the state. Pellerin said every year is different, so answers to his questions aren’t just a matter of knowing everything there is to know about one crop in a single year. Weather conditions differ, plant responses differ and problems, like pests, differ from year to year. 

“I’m always growing the same types of crops, but I experience different problems each year,” Pellerin said. “I’m a verbal processor, so having somebody to talk to helps me to think and make decisions.”

In addition to pumpkins, Highmoor Farm has 17 acres of orchards, where they test new apple varieties alongside ones commonly found growing in Maine. Renae Moran, an Extension tree fruit specialist, advises growers on problems that arise throughout the season. 

Moran, also a professor of pomology at UMaine, said she gets the most calls during the spring bloom phase and the two weeks that follow. Controlling how many apples grow on a tree can determine the success of a season’s orchard. Too many and the apples will be too small — potentially down to the size of a golf ball. Too few and the tree won’t produce enough to turn a profit. 

This year came with another unique challenge in the bloom phase. Moran said the persistence of cold weather into the spring kept bees from pollinating apple flowers.

“Growing apples for marketing requires a high degree of horticultural knowledge,” Moran said. “My job is to fill in the gaps and to anticipate problems that are unique to each season.”

Later in the growing season, when the apples are almost ready to pick, Moran travels around the state to different orchards and helps farmers determine when to pick the tree fruit. She uses a tool to test how much chlorophyll has broken down in the apple peel by measuring how much light the peel is absorbing. Whether the apples will be placed in cold storage or used immediately after harvest determines when they need to be picked.

Highmoor Farm also deploys scouts as part of the Integrated Pest Management program at Extension to look for signs of pest and disease in orchards during the summer. The scout program covers a variety of crops across the state, including potatoes, apples, sweet corn and strawberries. 

Tom Stevenson of Stevenson Strawberry Farm, which grows other crops including sweet corn and pumpkins, was a scout himself in high school and is now a part of the network of farms in Maine who use the program. Not only does the scout program help the farms it directly connects with, it informs other farms in the state of what disease and pests the scouts are finding. 

In addition to on-the-ground support, the university tests soil for farmers through the MAFES Analytical Laboratory and Maine Soil Testing Service. Don Estes, who owns the blueberry farm in Buxton, said he sends soil tests in at the beginning of the growing season and receives a list back detailing what it needs. 

Farmers with operations of all scales are encouraged to contact their local Extension office for more information on the resources available to them. 

Contact: Ashley Yates; ashley.depew@maine.edu