By Mark Duell Last updated at 5:11 PM on 18th September 2011 Shoppers will soon be heading out to their local stores expecting to buy their jack-o'-lanterns ready for Halloween next month. But the U.S. Northeast is facing a shortage this year after Hurricane Irene destroyed hundreds of pumpkin patches across the region. Wholesale prices have doubled in some places as farmers nurse their surviving pumpkin plants toward a late harvest. Search: Logan Diebold picks out a pumpkin to carve for Halloween at the Great Pumpkin Farm in New York. Wholesale process in the region have doubled Some farmers are even trying to buy pumpkins from other regions to cover orders, after the storm’s impact on crops last month.
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Wholesale prices have doubled in some parts of U.S.
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Some farmers buying pumpkins from other regions
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20,000 crops washed away at one New York farm
This is a huge issue as a late harvest can be fatal to business because pumpkin sales plummet after @placeholder on October 31.