It is safe to say that Florida is not known for its pumpkin patches. Pumpkins generally need a a temperature of 65 degrees or more to germinate, along with plenty of water. In fact, some pumpkin plants require 1 inch of water a day. Florida certainly fits the bill when it comes to moisture content and germination temperature. In order for a actual pumpkin to form, partial shade is needed to keep temperatures generally below 90 degrees. And this is where the difficulty arises. It is hard to keep pumpkins, during their growing process, in the extreme heat of Florida.
The Ohio Valley, eastern Midwest, and California are prime growing spots for pumpkin crops. Generally, pumpkins are considered a late season growing crop, because they must wait until the soils are warm. This is why there was originally some thought that there would be significant pumpkin shortages this fall season. As happens to be the case, communities which rely mainly on their own hometown production, in the Northeast, may experience shortages. Reports of wide spread shortages and/or complete devastation of this fall's crop are greatly exaggerated.
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