In Jersey, Phil Le Maistre from Master Farms echoed this sentiment, saying, "The pumpkins aren’t quite as big this year, likely due to the lack of sun and heat this summer. There has been plenty of rain, allowing the plants to start strong and grow lots of leaves. However, we needed more sunlight during the fruiting phase to increase their size. Fortunately, we have as many pumpkins as we typically do."
Additionally, pumpkin farms in the Channel Islands have largely escaped the slug problems plaguing crops in the UK. Jess Rihoy noted, "We’ve noticed a few slugs, but they haven’t posed a significant issue for us. The ground is quite wet beneath the pumpkins, so you might see a couple of slugs there, but thankfully, they haven’t affected our harvest."
Phil Le Maistre speculated on why slugs haven't been a major problem in Jersey, stating, "I’m not entirely sure why, but for some reason, we don’t experience slug issues as much as they do in the UK. They tend to have more slug problems because they grow a lot more cereals, which slugs love. It’s certainly good news for us!"