Specialists and farmers agree that 2018 was among the best year for pumpkins in decades in Syracuse, all due to a change in the weather. Frost ending earlier and earlier in May tends to allow the pumpkins to ripen sooner, and with the nicer weather comes the bees and other pollinators and the sun to aid in the Halloween crop's growth. Syracuse has seen some late winters, and this often times makes pumpkins ripen later in the season causing farmers to scramble.
This is coming at the peak of what people consider to be a fairly new form of entertainment, what farmers call "agritainment." Horticulture specialists say the best time to pick pumpkins is when they have a deep orange color and to check that they have firm skins and stems to avoid inside rotting. Farmers are predicting similar conditions next year and are planting double their crop from the previous season. Make sure you get yours before they are all picked!
Image above from Getty Images