Pumpkin Patch

Our first year growing pumpkins was such a wild ride. It is something my daughter and I did together - every step of the way. I will cherish that forever. You may see truckloads of pumpkins at The Farm Stand during the Fall - but it is so much more than that. I find it hard to even put into words. She was right there by my side - preparing the dirt (by hand), making hills, planting the seeds, weeding, watering, checking and checking, and checking some more. All the emotions piled into one - excitement, frustration, defeat - but when we started seeing those pumpkins grow - there were tears of joy. We couldn't contain our excitement harvesting. So, to you it may be just pumpkins, but to me - it's a core memory I will never forget and will always have a special place in my heart.

 

Where it all began, our pumpkin patch story! This patch will always have a special place in my heart because of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into it during our first year. My dad had a small half-acre "3-corner" field that served no purpose, so he gifted me the chance to start my very own pumpkin patch! I was equipped with my farmhand, a hoe, shovel, stock tank, garden hose, and an old farm truck. What an adventure that first year was. 

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My daughter and I built over 500 hills by hand and carefully planted our seeds. We were so proud. Now, we just needed rain to water them in - but the rain did not arrive. After 3-weeks I decided I needed to intervene or there would be no pumpkins! I scoured the old barn and found a stock tank and hopped into my grandpa's old farm truck. I filled the 300-gallon stock tank from the well and drove 1/2 mile down to the patch. Let me tell you, I was the talk of the "neighborhood" - did I mention said stock tank was not enclosed - water sloshing everywhere as I drove (really) slow down the highway and down the lane to the patch. There were even local farmers calling my dad asking if I needed to borrow their water tank. Nope, we are making this work! 

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It would take me over 8 hours to water the pumpkins, multiple trips back and forth with my old stock tank and rusty old farm truck, and watering by gravity with a few garden hoses linked together. Desperate times call for desperate measures y'all! And I was desperate! After a couple of weeks those seeds finally germinated, the hard work was paying off! I watered the patch at least once a week - sometimes twice. I was dedicated to this now. That summer we were in a drought, but nothing was stopping me - I was in it to win it! Next came the weeds. I had the watering routine down - now, I had to get ahead of those pesky weeds. When I wasn't watering, I was weeding. I finally gave up on those weeds and let nature take it's course! You have to give somewhere! 

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In the end, I saw more dirt than I liked and more weeds than I could manage. What anyone else would call a crop failure, I called a success. I also saw hard work, experience, and after all, pumpkins - just not as many as I hoped for! When it was time to harvest, we couldn't contain our excitement, and we had some beautiful pumpkins - over 1000 beautifully orange pumpkins! We learned a ton and can't wait to see what this year's patch improvements bring! 

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We will have the traditional Jack O' Lantern variety, but we focused on specialty pumpkins, gourds, and corn this year! Tons of mini varieties, beautiful fall colors, warty + stacking, and pie pumpkins! Be sure to check out The Farm Stand this Fall! The feeling of sharing our handwork and dedication with the community really does put a smile on our face! Even if it is "just a pumpkin."

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You guys know I have tons of plans and visions for the farm - in future seasons I will eventually offer potted mums, straw bales, and other fall decor. In the meantime, you'll find specialty pumpkins, gourds, corn + corn stalks!