HOUSTON – It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown -- literally!
It won't be too hard to find a great pumpkin this year. After last year's devastating drought, this fall pumpkins are bigger and better looking.
"The pumpkins have been coming in real strong, real firm," said Derrick Wood, Whole Foods Kirby associate store team leader. "They have a lot of moisture in 'em."
This Fall pumpkins are popping up and looking better than ever, thanks to all of our rain. Local farmers are reporting a 25 percent increase in quality and quantity.
"The quality on them has just been outstanding on them. That has a lot to do with the water, moisture," said Wood. "Last year, they were a little drier. This year, we can just tell they're going to hold up a lot longer than what they were last year."
It's a welcome change from last year when KPRC Local 2 spoke to farmers who could not even grow a single pumpkin in our hot and dry conditions.
Shoppers at the Whole Foods Kirby location are noticing, and they're also noticing the cost. These bigger, plumper pumpkins will run you about the same per pound as they did last year. Farmers said they had to keep the prices the same because of increased fuel and fertilizer costs.
"They really look great," shopper Leslie Abraham said. "I'm planning on cutting mine open and making some pumpkin pies!"
It's a little better for our local Christmas tree farmers, too. The baby trees they planted this January are flourishing, but farmers said they will likely see the affects of last year's drought for at least two or three more years.
Now that fall is officially here, check out the pumpkin patches near you.