Suffolk pumpkin growers who dodged the worst of the summer heatwaves are counting their blessings after others saw their crops fail completely.
Growers are reporting smaller, fewer pumpkins after extreme weather sent temperatures soaring to nearly 40C.
Some growers lost their entire crop, while others pulled through because of different growing conditions.
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Louise Abbott, of Beacon Hill Farm in Martlesham near Ipswich, said well-timed early rain may have saved their crop.
"We have been very lucky," she said.
"We have got loads of pumpkins. We just got them in at the right time - the same with the sunflowers."
The pumpkin patch was hit by a road closure last year.
This year, her husband, Phil Abbott, planted the crop in July, and the farm benefited from three days of rain despite having no irrigation.
"I know it has been hot but he just planted them right," he said. "They are beginning to ripen - not all are ripened yet."
The sloping field may have helped, she added, while underground springs run beneath the soil towards the River Fynn.
"Some of them are huge," she said, but she did not expect the crop to match last year’s numbers.
"You can see in the middle of the field where some plants have grown and where others have not.
"At the bottom of the field there are much, much bigger pumpkins."
Emily Wheaton, of Akenham Hall near Ipswich, called the crop on her 1.5-acre patch “a miracle” after it thrived without irrigation.
"Unbelievably, they have grown," she said. "It really is unbelievable - it's a miracle actually."
But she added: "There are definitely fewer and they are a bit smaller. They have not grown as big as they would do in a normal year."
They have grown more than 25 varieties and will open from 10am to 4pm every October weekend and throughout half-term.
"The pumpkins are grown on heavier soil with clay subsoil and we had a crucial 30mm of rain at the beginning of June which got their rooting system established," she said.
"Surprisingly, this has managed to sustain them throughout the summer and we have a large selection of pumpkins of different colours and varieties, with the largest variety being the white Polar Bears."
This year’s extras include donkey rides, alpaca walks and a bouncy castle, while fresh produce and seasonal gifts will be on sale.
Vegetable grower James Foskett of James Foskett Farms near Woodbridge grew his first pumpkin patch in 2023.
He is happy with how the crop on his six-acre site at Martlesham has fared - but admitted pumpkin numbers are probably down.
Irrigating the crop during the drought helped, he said.
"We put plants in the ground instead of seeds which helps establishment," he added.
"We have achieved some quite good sized pumpkins - maybe not so many pumpkins per acre. We have got some really good, decent-sized pumpkins.
"Generally pumpkins can cope with the heat but they have got to have enough moisture.
"We put probably six inches of water on them to where they are. Everything works with water."
Daughter Jessica Church - who manages the pumpkin patch - said pumpkins are probably smaller this year. "We have been able to irrigate and that's obviously helped a lot."
The Foskett family's pumpkin patch was introduced as a farm diversification project in 2024, with daughter Jessica Church joining the business to develop it.
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