"Pumpkin picking" WTF

[HauntedGusset]

Driving home from a visit to family today there was an absolutely massive traffic jam caused by cars entering/leaving a farm shop that also has a small events centre attached. I last passed the farm shop a few weeks ago and they had some other event on with cars parked all over the field nearest the road. Anyway today the same field was covered in huge pumpkins with families trudging round in the mud "picking" them - but they didn't grow there, they can't have done as the same field was a car park last month They've just been plonked there. Someone tell me why this is a thing?

(And no, I don't have small DC anymore so I suppose I've missed this becoming popular, I was vaguely aware people pick pumpkins but imagined it to be like picking strawberries where you actually pick them fresh from the plant, not like a crapper muddier version of just buying one from Lidl!)

The local farm shop near me does the pumpkin placing. It a nice petting farm but the woman who runs it is vile. There was loads of uproar last year as loads of the pumpkins still had the Asda stickers on 😂

• my toddler enjoys it
• I enjoy it
• fresh air
• Halloween is good fun
• good for local farm revenue

Aw, I really enjoyed the one I did. It was lovely weather and a nice atmosphere and we only paid for the pumpkins, and some games like welly wanging! My teen goes to one with her friend every year and loves it too. There were some very disgruntled two year olds from a local nursery wondering what the muddy hell they’d been brought to, though.

What on earth is materialistic about pumpkins 🤣

The farm near my house grows them and also tops them up with trucks of imported pumpkins.

We do it I far prefer supporting local farmers running these sort of events then the likes of huge supermarkets who drive down prices.

It's definitely not £50 by me, think we spent £13 in total including a hot drink, tractor toys, bales etc.

Lots of farmers have to diversify just to stay afloat I see no issue with it if people want to do it!

Usually if you go at the start of the opening it is pumpkins they’ve grown, then the import them in.

It’s a thing. I never did it as a child (70s) but DNephew 5, went this year and I think last year.

I saw on a BBC morning show last week that one farm in Essex grows 400,000 of them and that pumpkin picking and carving has increased in popularity so I guess that’s good for this farmer. They have to be picked for shops by hand, no machinery can do it and pumpkins are classed as a fruit.

It’s not the same at all. We have a lavender farm close by , the lavender grows there. We also have several farm shops where you can ‘pick’ pumpkins that have been brought in and dumped in field. In this case ‘pick your own’ really means ‘choose your own’.

I love seeing everyone’s pumpkin picking photos, it’s only become a really big thing over the past few years and my dc are too old to be interested now. We saw a big farm shop doing this whilst we were on holiday in Devon a couple of years ago and dd wouldn’t let me go chose a pumpkin as apparently ‘I’m too old’. Anyway this year I have an allotment and I have my own mini pumpkin patch 😁.

I love this time of year, not really a huge Halloween fan but I love autumn and all the colours. I know Halloween never used to be this big and it’s an American thing but if people enjoy it then I don’t see the issue. It’s a good reason to get the dc out of the house and into the fresh air.

Oh do calm down, I'm not saying it should be banned People are welcome to engage in whatever "fun" they see fit if it's not causing harm to people/animals/environment, I'm not the fun police, just baffled by why on earth this was a thing in the first place. It was a new one for me, seeing literally hundreds of people queuing to get their hands on a load of plonked pumpkins (plonkins?) in such a shizzy setting. But ok, if other people and their DC enjoy it then crack on and have fun!

Wtaf Asda stickers on?!

I took my DC aged 12 and 14 yesterday and they loved it! It was great to get them off screens for a bit. And yes, I did post a picture of them on FB (with their permission) because it’s rare to get a picture of the two of them together where they aren’t bickering!

Erm, pumpkin picking is not materialistic, for either the picker or the farmer. It’s just a Nice Thing To Do that makes local farms some extra money.

That said I am genuinely shocked if these places let children climb on stacks of haybales, as some posters have said. That's actually outright dangerous (country child of the 80s speaking!) and really shouldn't be allowed or encouraged

Durrr let me think..., how about, 'hey kids lets go for a walk', versus 'hey kids, lets go to a Pumpkin patch, and choose one to bring it home'
Spot the difference Colleen?? or shall i spell it out? 😂

The plants are sturdy vines with whopping great leaves, that grow along the ground. People would trip and fall over them and also break the vines, meaning unripe pumpkins still growing would die. Leaving out nice ripe pumpkins to be chosen is a much better idea.

You can go for a walk and pick a pumpkin though, on different days, or even at different hours of the same day.

Actual pumpkin patches can charge more than the places that only haul in pumpkins. Make no mistake that even the real pumpkin patches may be supplementing their supply. If done well, it’s a nice fall day. Fresh air, a walking around in the good weather, sometimes some outdoor family games to play. There are some farms near us that basically stay solvent because of agri-tourism.
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For the love of puppies...

We went to our local farm today with our two year old in the rain to pick some pumpkins. We had a great time :) And yes they were definitely grown there as the field is covered in vines and a lot of pumpkins were still attached. It was hugely muddy and partly looked like a scene from a WW1 film but a lot of fun! Only £1.50 to get in and we got a cake and a hot chocolate at the attached garden centre afterwards.

It's very lucrative apparently, I read yesterday that farmers make about £30k an acre with it

My kids love it, it has definitely exploded as an event in the last few years but the one we go to has lots of decorations, rides, face paints etc. part of the attraction for me is the photos as quite frankly I’d rather go to Sainsbury’s but the children genuinely love it.

I'd like you to spell out what is so objectionable in supporting a local business?

Mine picked theirs today, but literally from my allotment, and then we spent a pleasant afternoon carving them.
These places usually have some games and other stuff going on and the children enjoy it. There are some grumpy buggers around.

This is DD's attempt for this year 😊