Rain threatened shoppers at the Locust Lane farmers market, but it didn't keep one vendor from selling five pumpkins in three minutes.

Charles Roeschen, of Sunflower Farm in Rebersburg, Pa., is a regular at the Tuesday and Friday markets, selling a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, including pumpkins.

"I had my best pumpkin crop ever this year," Roeschen said. "I'm almost sold out."

In general, pumpkin production across the state was up from last year for small, medium and large fruits, Penn State professor of vegetable crops Michael Orzolek said.

"A lot of conditions contributed to the better crops," Orzolek said.

For proper growth, pumpkins need about an inch and a half of rain a week -- something that simply didn't happen last year, he said.

The average rainfall for the State College area from June to September in 2008 was 3.21 inches, AccuWeather meteorologist Carl Erickson said. In 2009 an average rainfall was 3.84 inches for the same period.

And temperatures were cooler, which Orzolek said helps make healthier harvests. The average temperature from June to September in 2008 was 69.25 degrees, while the same months in 2009 saw an average temperature of 67.1 degrees, Erickson said.

Planters also started earlier after last year's smaller yields and were more aware of possible issues, Orzolek said.

"Growers are more alert of the disease problems such as downy and powdery mildew," Orzolek said.

"If growers don't control these molds, both the number and appearance of the fruit will be affected," he added.

Patrons seem happy with Pennsylvania pumpkins, too.

Brandy Hooper (junior-biology) purchased "three good ones" from Roeschen, she said.

"I'm going to carve pumpkins tonight," Hooper said, as Roeschen bagged her medium-sized pumpkins.

"It is part of Halloween -- you have to do it," she said.

Others seemed to agree, as fewer than two dozen pumpkins were left at the Sunflower Farm's site Tuesday afternoon. Roeschen said he expects to get rid of nearly all of them -- including crops that were back at the farm -- by the end of Friday's market.

"After Halloween, it is hard to move pumpkins," he said. "After that, they're catapult material and target practice."