As summer comes to an end and the stands fill with football fans on Friday nights, Texas temperatures cool and shift to autumn. For regional fruit and vegetable growers, the time has come to begin the harvest. Some of Floydada’s famous pumpkins are already on their way to destinations across the state and beyond. The cotton harvest will follow, starting in late October.
This year, local pumpkins, watermelons, apples and grapes are seeing growth in both wholesale and retail markets, while rural residents are also seeing broader availability of Texas products in the region.
Pumpkins a Floyd County staple
Legend has it that the pumpkin is native to the region and possibly saved the lives of Coronado and his men when they explored the area in the 1500s—and modern times have yielded praise for the pumpkin as well.
Floydada became well known as “Pumpkin Capital USA” in the 1980s, though the distinctive squash was initially only cultivated on five acres belonging to a farmer named B.A. (Uncle Slim) Robertson, who had a pumpkin crop starting in the 1950s. Now multiple growers have introduced more varieties, and the area produces millions of pumpkins every year. Some pumpkins can reach two or three hundred pounds each.
“My dad grew pumpkins in the ’60’s, but back then we only had one type,” said Tim Assiter of Assiter Pumpkin Ranch, explaining that Floydada growers have expanded to become an influence on the market nationwide.
“Now we raise fifty to seventy-five different varieties with different characteristics,” said Assiter.
A range of sizes and colors are now available, from tiny white decorative minis to large orange jack-o’-lanterns.
Three generations of the Pyle family have farmed in Floydada, and they joined in producing pumpkins in 1991. Their warehouse on North 2nd Street in Floydada is recognizable for its “Pumpkin Pyle” logo—as are the cardboard bins in which tens of thousands of pumpkins are exported each fall.
While Assiter is focused more on local retail and agritourism at his Punkin’ Ranch and Pumpkin Patch this year, he describes Pumpkin Pyle as “a class-act of the wholesale business.” Over 90,000 pumpkins were shipped from the Pumpkin Pyle to the Dallas Arboretum just last week.
Preparations for Punkin’ Days are underway as Floydada plans for visitors on the second Saturday in October. The Pumpkin Patch, located eleven miles south of Floydada on Highway 62, will be open starting September 17.
Wine grapes diversify regional growing
Down US Highway 70 east of Floydada, some might be surprised to find a vineyard with 20 acres of grapes.
In what is now Texas, Spanish missionaries began growing grapes and producing wine near El Paso as early as the 1650s, but prohibition interrupted the practice in the 1920s. By the 1990s, thanks to research efforts centered at Texas Tech over several decades, cultivation of wine grapes was flourishing on the Plains.
Texas cotton growers Bart and Shawnda Greer and Rick and Brenda Heflin started their vineyard in 2015, along with their families. to diversify their crops. Now the One Way Vineyard is harvesting a crop from their 20 acres of vines, which require less water than cotton.
“We’re losing water each year, so we looked at grapes because they take very little water,” said Rick Heflin, though he also considered that grapes were expensive to start.
According to Brenda Heflin, grapes are labor-intensive, but the rewards are different.
“To hold a bottle of wine and know you grew it—you see the final product is fun,” said Heflin.
The Heflins grow several varieties of grapes, including Aglianico, Roussanne, Dolcetto, and Marsanne. Harvest can begin as early as mid-August, but veraison (the time when the grapes begin to turn purple) came late this year. The Heflins began harvesting their Dolcetto grapes this week.
Quitaque to expand offerings
The Coffee Mill in Quitaque, gateway to Caprock Canyons State Park, is creating an environment ripe for attracting Texas-produced wines and reaping the benefits of other homegrown commodities.
Jackie and JonAnn Welch had been growing corn and cotton in Victoria, Texas, for forty years when they decided in 2014 to convert 120 acres to an olive orchard on their family farm. The Coffee Mill, among other Texas shops, has hosted recipe demonstrations as the family’s olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a range of cooking products became available in bakeries and boutiques across the state.
Soon the Welches plan to open their Turkey Creek Winery in Quitaque. They’re hoping to convert a downtown building and complete remodeling by the end of the year.
Idalou famous for orchards
Austin Williams, a fifthgeneration fruit grower, has partnered with Tucker Crawford to reimagine Idalou’s beloved apple orchard. It has been a favorite family attraction in the region since 1982, and it is now known as Top of Texas Farms.
Though the trees have been replanted this year and visitors will not be able to pick their own apples as they have traditionally, there will be Honeycrisp and Gala apples available for sale in the shop, which will be provided through the sister Williams Orchard in Colorado.
“We will have apples into late fall and we’ll have Pink Ladies at the end of October,” said Elaria Williams, who manages the roadside shop.
The doors are now open every day of the week and the shop is offering apple cider, pies, peach bread and other baked goods. Peaches will also be available until the end of September, and fresh pressed apple juice can be purchased within the next few weeks.
Though the cherries did not survive the frost this year, there are plans in place to introduce more options by next summer.
“It’s great to have the support of the community,” said Williams.
The new partners are preparing for the Apple Blossom Festival in March and aiming for fall of 2022 to restore the tradition of allowing visitors to pick their own fruit from the orchard. Next fall will also bring the Apple Butter Festival.
“The orchard has a lot of history and people have fond memories. We want people to bring their kids to make new memories,” Williams said.
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