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RYE, N.Y. Lorenzo Lagana usually orders pumpkins from upstate New York farms, but this year he had to get them from out of state.
"There was a bad pumpkin crop due to the weather," said Lagana, who works at the Rye Flower Shop. "New York got hit really hard."
Many local farms were decimated by Tropical Storm Irene, resulting in the loss of thousands of pumpkins.
Lagana said he had to order pumpkins from Ohio and western Pennsylvania to meet projected demand, which led to a slight increase in prices to account for the cost of shipping.
Lagana said the increase was only 10 to 15 percent, with pumpkins ranging from 59 cents to 69 cents a pound, depending on the type.
Although Lagana was able to stock up on pumpkins this season, the variety is limited. Specialty crops like white pumpkins were not available.
Despite of the pumpkin shortage on the East Coast, Lagana said sales have only recently begun to increase as Halloween approaches.
"Everyone usually waits until the last minute to buy one," he said.
Has the increase in pumpkin prices affected your decision to buy one this year?
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