IT'S every parent's Halloween horror. The children are demanding a pumpkin. Now it's Halloween and the shops have run out.

Arrrgh! Trick or treat? Nightmare, more like.

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But, wake up, it doesn't have to be that way. It's only Saturday, October 10. You've got three whole weeks to get organised and make it the best Halloween ever for your children. Let's start, this week, with the pumpkin itself. To help you plan in advance, we asked the experts to share their advice. Brocklebank Greengrocers of Ulverston and Dalton have been selling pumpkins for 35 years. The Evening Mail caught up with owner Wray Brocklebank, to get the low down on all things pumpkin related.

When is the best time to buy a pumpkin?

Anytime from now really! They were start selling out in a few weeks and will stay fresh until Halloween if purchased now.

Can you pre-order or reserve a pumpkin? 

We tried reserving pumpkins in the past but found people just picked them up off the shelves and forgot about the reserved ones so we no longer offer that service.

How many pumpkins do you get into your shops every year?

We normally get around eight hundred but have been known to get as many as a thousand..

When do they first start coming into the shops?

We got our first pumpkins in on Thursday and it’s usually around the same time in October.

Where do they come from?

This year our pumpkins are coming from Shropshire, we usually get them from Lincolnshire but there were problems with the grower.

What is the pumpkin growing season?  

Pumpkins are usually planted in mid-summer and harvested around the start of October so that they will be good for Halloween.

How long will a pumpkin last?

A pumpkin will last for about a month if it’s not hollowed out and kept in a dry place.

How close to Halloween should you carve a pumpkin?

A pumpkin will only last for about a week once hollowed out so it’s best to as close to the 31st as possible to ensure your pumpkin will still look fresh.

What range of sizes of pumpkins are there?  

We stock pumpkins in small, medium and large sizes.

What are the price ranges?

Are small pumpkins are £1.30, medium costs £2.30 and large costs £3.30.

Some years there has been a shortage in supply of pumpkins. Why is that? It really depends on the growing season, if it’s a bit dry during the summer it can negatively affect the crop.

What has the supply been like this year? Why is that?

There is a crisis with pumpkins this year due to a drier summer and issues with our regular supplier.

Can you use any parts of the pumpkin to eat?

You can only eat the inside of the pumpkin but there are many uses for it, from pumpkin soup to pumpkin pie.