Record rainfall hurt crops, but Louisville stores are getting pumpkins from out of state

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The hunt is on for the great jack-o'-lantern after too much rain killed off local crops.

It's been a tough pumpkin season for local growers, but some stores are still fully stocked. At Frank Otte Nursery in the Highlands, you'll find several medium-sized pumpkins.

"Pumpkins we have here, we recently got in," said Kurt Graeser with Franke Otte Nursey. "They came from out of state.

"I haven't had any problems with them. They're all nice and uniform and ready to be a nice jack-o'-lantern for somebody."

The nursery also sells some pie pumpkins from Gallrein Farms in Shelbyville.

"Pumpkins this year have been a little bit of a challenge," Graeser said. "Earlier in the season, local grown pumpkins have had some issues because of all the rain."

All the water caused some of the Gallrein pumpkins to mold and deflate. The farm said half of its crop couldn't be sold.

"This is really the first time I've looked for them, but I do think there seems to be less in front of stores," said Ashley Mitchell, who was shopping at Kroger on Monday. "Normally, they are piled up by the doors."

At Kroger in the Highlands, shoppers are buying up the pumpkins quickly.

"It's been selling really well," said Tiffany Aylesworth, co-manager of the store. "We've sold at least 1,400 pumpkins since the beginning of October."

Mitchell bought three pumpkins on her shopping trip.

"I think if we get another hot spell, they will probably get mushy and rotty," she said. "But that's the good thing about waiting longer is they won't sit on the porch for a whole month. Sometimes, if you get them too early, they don't make it to Halloween."

Like Franke Otte Nursey, Kroger is selling pumpkins from Stumler Farms in Washington County, Indiana. The store said a shipment of 14 more pallets of pumpkins is expected on Tuesday. Aylesworth says, "We have plenty of pumpkins."

ValuMarket in the Highlands if running a promotion all month for customers to get a free pumpkin when they buy $20 in candy of cash in 5,000 reward points. They received their pumpkins from Amish farmers in Henry County.