Picking Pumpkins No Problem At South Jersey Farm

By John McDevitt

MEDFORD, N.J. (CBS) -- The wet weather earlier this year has made it a challenge for pumpkin farmers to produce a quality crop in some areas -- but a Burlington County farm has plenty of good ones to choose from.

Even in a wet year, Ken Johnson of Johnson's Corner Farm in Medford, New Jersey says conditions on his property enable the majority of the pumpkins to make it until picking time.

"We are fortunate," Johnson says. "We have very sandy, well-drained farm, so the water leaves very quickly when we do get rain. Plus, the fact that we do put a lot of effort into the growing of a cover crop that becomes a mulch and keeps the pumpkins off the ground."

Pumkins range from a pound or two up to 40 pounds.

A popular thing to do on the farm is to take a hayride into the field and pick your own pumpkin.

"We wanted to look for something that was round and not bruised and had a nice looking stem," said Marnie Benjamin, who was there with her 20-month-old son Aaron, "so when we cut the top off, we could use it to open the pumpkin."

Johnson's parents started the farm back in 1953.