It's pumpkin season at the State Farmers Market

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Raleigh may not have much color on the trees yet, but fall colors are popping up all over the State Farmers Market.

Pumpkins and gourds are now decorating the booths as Halloween gets closer and closer.

"They look good... nice and shiny and bright and orange," said Mardee Pater, salesperson at Porter Farms and Nursery. "They are beautiful. They are huge. These big ones are called grand prize and they are between 100-150 pounds," she said.

There are large pumpkins and small pumpkins, some for carving and others for tasting, along with some interesting breeds as well. In fact, there's more than a dozen varieties to be found when shopping all vendors.

One mom brought her two sons to pick out their annual pumpkins.

"He had to look at them all so we have big ones to carve and little ones to carry, so they are happy," Jane Zielinski said. "They saw them on my neighbor's porch and they have been asking ever since," she explained.

Experts say the weather this year has been good for pumpkins, but it has taken a toll on other crops.

"It has been slow because mother nature has been so hot for quite a couple weeks and it made everything stunt," one expert explained.

One of the late bloomers? Mums. Now is the perfect time to buy while the buds are about to bloom.

Corn, wreaths and other fall items are available for decorating too, and should be through the end of October.

A tip for eager pumpkin purchasers? Wait until a week before Halloween to carve, so the pumpkins won't rot.