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Resilient slugs lead to 'heartbreaking' pumpkin crop

BBC Barrington Court's senior gardener Jemma Marsh standing in one of the shed's at the National Trust property. In the background is some of this year's pumpkin and squash harvest.BBC
Gardener Jemma Marsh says this year's experience has been a 'learning curve'

The senior gardener at a National Trust property in Somerset says it is "heartbreaking" this year's pumpkin harvest has been "decimated" by slugs.

Barrington Court says it has grown a much smaller number of pumpkins and squashes because the mild and wet weather has created an "unprecedented" number of slugs.

Senior gardener Jemma Marsh said: "By not having the frost and the cold weather last winter the slugs have managed to survive and carry on breeding."

Ms Marsh added: "Last year we were swimming in pumpkins and squashes, we didn't know what to do with them. This year's harvest is probably not even 10% of the crop from last year."

The picture shows a small number of large pumpkins and squashes on a bed of hay. The photo was taken inside a farmhouse at Barrington Court in Somerset.
Barrington Court says this year's harvest has been hit by the weather and slugs

Other National Trust properties in the country have also reported issues with large numbers of slugs.

Barrington Court said this year's pumpkin display will be scaled back and smaller.

Jemma Marsh said: "We still do have a trail planned for the October half term and we will be utilising what we have in the farm buildings."

Jemma Marsh The photo shows a large number of pumpkins and squashes on display in Barrington Court in 2023. They are placed on hay bales and benches, with smaller pumpkins presented in boxes.Jemma Marsh
Barrington Court staff said its display in 2023 was much bigger

Ms Marsh says they are already planning to do things differently next year to tackle the problem with slugs.

"We don't like to use slug pellets here, so we will be looking at natural remedies to encourage more wildlife into the garden and, hopefully, more predators."

Claire Norris, who runs the Quantock Pumpkin Patch near Kilve, standing in a field of pumpkins.
Pumpkin grower Claire Norris thinks the weather had an impact on the harvest

Another pumpkin grower in Somerset has experienced similar problems.

Claire Norris and her daughter started growing pumpkins last year at Quantock Pumpkin Patch near Kilve.

Ms Norris said: "We grew in a bigger area this year and I purchased more seeds."

"There are fewer pumpkins on the plants and the vines don't seem to have stretched as far. We still have a large number available because we grew more."

Ms Norris also believes the weather had an impact.

"We had a lack of sunshine, we just didn't have the heat this year," she added.