October is a month beloved for its fall activities, especially pumpkin and apple picking. But what if there were not enough pumpkins for the taking? Due to the polar vortex that occurred last year, many farmers are worried about the amount of crops that will be produced this year.
With the weather changing so drastically, the fields can go from dry to damp within a day. Many areas have been declared “Primary Natural Disaster” areas by the Department of Agriculture. We’re expected to have blasts of freezing air early this fall, a reminder of the awful winter we had last year. So what does all this mean for our favorite fall festivities?
While many farmers are biting their nails to see what the rest of fall brings, the community gardens here at Monmouth are flourishing. Dean of the School of Social Work, Robin Mama, is also the advisor for the gardens, and gives us the inside look at the new community garden program on campus.
Through the combined efforts of the Center for Human and Community Wellness and the School of Social Work, the community gardens were started as a way for students to reach out to many different community agencies and food pantries around West Long Branch, including the Long Branch Senior Center and the Soup D’Shore Soup Kitchen. Mama said that that this has been the garden’s best year so far.
Mama explains that “the garden has both looked its best and produced its best this year. As of last week, our harvest totals were 3,265 pounds of produce donated! Once we add in October we will probably get close to 3,500 pounds.”
Monmouth’s gardens may be flourishing, but what about the students? As the weather flicks from sweltering to freezing, students are left clueless as to what activities they should be partaking in, beach days or pumpkin carving? Samantha Marella, a sophomore business marketing major, feels this fall has been too warm for her favorite fall festivities.
“It’s a little hotter than usual so my pumpkin picking spirit isn’t really all there,” Marella admits. “It’s not cold like fall usually is”.
During these 70 degree October days, students like Marella could just as easily stroll down to the beach or shop around Pier Village. With all the warm weather, some pumpkin patches reported producing only half the usual amount of crops.
One farmer, Dustin Ballinger, explained to 6 ABC that: “One [pumpkin] plant didn’t produce as many as it should have. Instead of producing 10 or 12, it just produced five or six.”
Other students refuse to let the ever-changing weather bring down their autumn plans. “I plan on going apple picking with my friends and family,” stated Natorye Miller, a sophomore political science major. Even though October is coming to a close, she hasn’t actually proceeded with her plans yet. Miller confesses that she hasn’t gone yet because of the weather and her school schedule.
Miller’s statement leads to another prime reason why some students haven’t made it to the pumpkin patch yet. October is a month full of many spooky things: fright fests, horror movies, and the most terrifying of all, midterm grades. Students are swamped with exam studying, project preparing, and coffee drinking.
For some of our peers, the closest they will get to a pumpkin is one of the decoration miniatures in the dining hall. Luckily for these unfortunate students, Fall Fest, an RHA sponsored event on the library lawn on October 30th, is just around the corner. Monmouth students won’t have to leave campus to get their hands on a pumpkin.
With warm days and midterms behind us, students are looking forward to a cool end to fall. Weather reports are predicting a chilly cold front to wreak its freezing havoc over the country, naming conditions such as heavy showers and brisk winds. As the cold weather encroaches, let’s hope that students get their pumpkins and apples quickly. Before we know it, students will grow tired of the cold weather and be counting down the days until summer vacation. Don’t worry everyone, just 122 days to go.
IMAGE TAKEN from http://thisisitjersey.com
