Pumpkin Patches

I think they’re fun and a nice way to mark autumn for the children. Our local farm has all kinds of other activities as well as pumpkin picking and it’s a good day out.

We went to one - it was basically pick your own pumpkins. We definitely picked it from the plant. It was fun. It won't last to Halloween though as we have already eaten it.

The only ones I’ve ever experienced have been good.

Went to a farm a few years ago where they grow their own (follow them on Instagram and see the posts and pumpkin updates all through the year) and then you can sit and carve them in a marquee and there’s a cute farm shop.

The one I’ve been to the last couple of years is fab, pumpkins are grown there and on Sunday nights through October there’s a marquee with a live band, hot chocolate stands, the farms own ice cream, open fires so you can buy and toast marshmallows, pizza and hot dogs, you can see the farm animals and also some games like basketball and hook a duck.

I wonder if there are any rules around using phrases like pumpkin patch, pumpkin picking etc. as you are choosing a pumpkin but not picking it like you would a strawberry

It isn't a rip off. You aren't paying for the pumpkin, and it isn't an essential, it's the experience and infrastructure. I kind of like that at least the farmer has a crop that actually makes a profit.

Well, farmers gotta make rent (or the payments on that Manitou telehandler or Keenan feed mixer wagon...the bank owns it all) I suppose. Diversification and all that.

Pumpkins are not traditionally grown in this country (not enough sun to ripen the human eating ones I think, as opposed to the more or less inedible carve 'n' chuck Hallowe'en ones) - turnips grow better, but are tougher to carve and not as Hallowe'en-y. Being a crap colour and all.

AFAIK actual pumpkin fields where they are grown are a depressing looking sea of mud by this time of year- they don't grow in grassy fields. And they require a sharp knife to cut the thick stalk, the results of which could not be good for the socials, unless you go in for sadface in A+E pics. Hence the scattering of Tesco ones in that little grassy paddock that was too small to get the forage harvester into to cut silage.

We saw one last year near where we live, we knew there was no way pumpkins were growing in that field and when we drove past it there were huge cardboard crates with Tesco Pumpkins written on the side of them.

We know a farmer that grows them, this is exactly what he does and charges a bloody fortune for them. He normally has between 20 - 25 extra truck deliveries to keep up with “demand” ie people buying tickets at £10.50 each. It’s a rip off.

Why are you so angry about pumpkins?

Of course they don't grow randomly in fields but they do grow in fields when they are planted and cultivated there!

I didn't know this was a thing . Our local pumpkin patches are on working farms who grow their own pumpkins . They always decorate lovely, have refreshments , some animals on display and sell their other produce as well as other local products.

I used to live next to a farm which started pumpkin picking about ten years ago before it all blew up with instagram etc. they definitely grew pumpkins, various varieties. However maybe they were more successful than they anticipated and I saw them deliver cheap big orange pumpkins from a van several times in the weeks approaching Halloween/half term. Or maybe they just couldn't grow enough to meet demand.

We also like to go and pick out the Christmas tree in December. I await my flogging.

We went to one last year and it was on a farm, the pumpkins were legitimately growing, there was loads to do and it was a lovely day out. 🤷‍♀️

I agree that it's absolutely naff when venues buy a load of pumpkins and just dump them on a piece of grass. We visit the same farm every year where they are grown and there are hundreds and hundreds of them plus animals, a farm shop and farming machinery etc. It still a gimmick but much more authentic than the fake ones.

I'm excited to go in a few weeks it's one of our best autumn traditions.

👊🏽

It has been a bad year for pumpkin growing. A farm that grows pumpkins for families to pick their own will not be having events this year after just 5% of their crop actually grew.

This and along with more halloween crap in shops is getting stupid. Plus some everyday items in supermarkets have HW images on them. What's so spooky about a loaf of bread FFS?

My family visit https://www.spilmans.co.uk/ which do grow their own pumpkins. It's great - you walk around huge fields to find the one you want, there's other activities like tractor rides, and it's a really good day out with kids.

Can't speak to the "dump a load of supermarket pumpkins on a patch of grass" places though.