Pumpkin Patches

[MidnightPatrol]

There seems to be a new trend of ‘pumpkin patches’ popping up all over the place. I’ve seen a few advertised this week.

Now… none of these places to my knowledge grow pumpkins. So they have just put some pumpkins in a field.

Sometimes there seem to be some Halloween decorations too, but mainly just piles of pumpkins.

I am all for fun days out but… I don’t get it.

Most of them don’t even look very instagrammable (which I assumed was the point). Just… pumpkins on the ground.

Surely this activity would take 2-3 minutes?

Farmers need to diversify to survive as they are paid a pittance by the supermarkets ! Good on them if an annual pumpkin patch will help supplement their income !!

I am all for fun days out but… I don’t get it

Just don't go, then.

HTH.

Perhaps like me they grew up in the north in the 70’s and 80’s where we had a swede instead of a pumpkin and are sad at the takeover by the orange monsters.

disclaimer I didn’t see the post just your reply!!

The flesh in carving pumpkins are edible. DM buys one each year to make soup, muffins, pies - savoury and sweet.

She puts enough for one recipe above in a tuppaware type box and freezes them.

The one near us charges entry but they have a bit of an autumn festival with rides, games, stalls, food and bars etc and then you can go pick some pumpkins. I went one year and it eas a nice day out. I assumed part of the reason you just pick up the pumpkin was because perhaps they are difficult to get out of the ground without tools but I did no research on which to base the assumption 😂

Our local pumpkin patch definitely grow the pumpkins there, you have to literally cut them off if the stalks etc.

That's the problem, people want cheapish food but someone in the supply chain sacrifices this. This is usually the farmers.

If you want farmers a fairer deal, expect to pay more.

We have one locally, they do grow their own and have carts/wagons that the kids can pull around/ride on, and some small fairground rides as well as a couple of photo op set ups. It only costs a fiver per car and the pumpkins are cheaper than the supermarket

I think they've spoilt it a bit in the last couple of years though, the first time we went about 3 years ago they had all the pumpkins on the patch including all the weird and wonderful little funny shaped interesting ones, we had great fun finding them. The last couple of years they seem to have gone through and taken all the small ones out and put them in big crates instead so the only ones on the patch are the standard type of pumpkins. Spoilt the fun a bit

Exactly!
Customers wanting cheap food and the big supermarkets price wars which reduces the price they pay the farmers for their produce !! Most dairy farmers are operating at a loss ! !

You’re the one talking bollox sweetie !!

My children love the War-BOO!-tons bread wrappers 😀

There's a post on this every year it's so joyless! Our local one is 3.50 a ticket so cheaper than soft play and you get some fresh air and a nice picture. My toddler loved the wheel barrows.

Also it's more money for farmers who've had a shocking harvest year.

I do think social media has made everything a bit bonkers at this time of year with so many experiences. But still nice to have something autumny to do.

They grow on the ground, not under it!

"Utter bollox. There are no poor farmers anywhere!!!"

Yeah you're right. It's a licence to print money and an absolute doddle. Must be why all the careers teachers in school are pushing all the kids to go to agricultural college and rent land to farm.

Tell you what, why don't you have a go? It's not a closed shop. Farmland comes up at public auction all the time and anyone is free to buy it. Since you can turn such a vast profit, you won't need to do any actual farming, just hire a farm manager, a crew of farm labourers with all their tractor handling experience and sprayer certs and whatnot, and go for it. If there aren't decent existing sheds you'll have to get some built- just think house extension costs but scaled up+++ and of course you'll need to buy some machinery that wouldn't be out of place at an army base or an airport. But yeah. The cash will fall into your hands.

Because it's become a bit popular I think MN has a problem with it. If you like anything too mainstream then the implication from some is that you're a bit chavvy or dim. Which is sad in this case because it's a really fun day, in the fresh air that will lead to a family activity (carving pumpkins) and maybe even a healthy meal with the remnants. I mean what could possibly be bad about that? Even if people do choose to go in impractical designer clothes and take lots of photos.

My parents before they died ! Will that do you ! And their farming friends too, not one of them are multiple car owners with fancy clothes !!

The pumpkin patches we go to the pumpkins most certainly grew there and you can still see all the plants, they have just cut the stems off the pumpkins so you can take the ones you like. My daughter even went to a "farming lesson" where she planted her own back in the spring at one of them.

I grew up in the South but yes!!!

Farmers diversify as for example, milk sold to supermarket for a loss. Buy, rent cheese making equipment or hire a cheese making plant nearby and they get more money.

Yeah I meant cutting it off the vine as I assume it is quite thick?