the Lil Munchkins' Patch of Pumpkins

This was the second year we've produced a large pumpkin patch. We started growing pumpkins in our garden in 2004. We had a lot of small pumpkins grow that year, but not a single large one to carve. I donated some to the credit union that I worked for at the time to use as decorations, and I donated several to the youth of the church when I was serving in the Young Women's presidency--we had an activity using pumpkins and then I gave them to the teenagers to keep. In 2005, we didn't grow a garden and we didn't buy any pumpkins to carve at Halloween. In 2006, we didn't grow a garden again, but we bought 3 pumpkins to carve at Halloween from the grocery store. In 2007, we bought pumpkins from a patch that was close to town. I thought it would be fun for the boys to pick out their own rather than get them from the grocery store again. We purchased 3 medium pumpkins, and it cost us $18. We didn't realize that the pumpkins were sold for 25 cents per pound when we went there. We were disappointed with the price, and we knew we couldn't afford to keep doing that year after year. So the following year, in 2008, we grew pumpkins in our garden again. But, unfortunately, the deer ate the pumpkins that we grew. That year, our friends the Hobbs' had extra pumpkins from their garden, and they graciously gave us some of theirs to carve.

I had the idea in spring of 2008 to create our own large pumpkin patch. In 2008, my father-in-law sold his dairy cows, and there was a patch of ground next to the road, by the beginning of our driveway, that I thought would be ideal for growing pumpkins because it was too small to use as a hayfield. Edward consented to our idea of planting pumpkins there. The idea came to life in the spring of 2009. We worked the ground, picked a ton of rocks out of the soil, figured out a watering system for the area, and planted the first pumpkin seeds there. Because the soil had been fertilized for years with cow manure, the plants grew abundantly! We grew almost 500 pumpkins in a 1/4 acre of land! The pumpkins were bigger and better than they ever were in the garden spot next to our house. People often ask me how our pumpkins grow so well, because the pumpkins they've planted don't grow, and my answer is cow poop: the fertilized soil makes a HUGE difference in the quality and quantity of the pumpkins!

We increased the size of the patch this year by a few rows; it totalled about a 1/2 acre in size. We planted four different varieties of seeds: Giant Magic (large in size), Connecticut Field (medium in size), Lumina (white in color), and Hybrid (weird-shaped, multi-striped ones). One row of the Giant Magic pumpkins we planted were with seeds that we saved from one of last year's pumpkins. We were experimenting to see if they would even grow, and they did! The other rows were all new seeds. Our Giant Magic pumpkins grew huge this year. Last year, our largest pumpkins were 55 pounds and 43 pounds. This year, our largest pumpkin was a whopping 93 pounds!!! It was so heavy, it was hard for Josh to even lift. There were a few people who wanted to buy it, but because it was so heavy, we let it stay in one spot on the ground too long, and it started getting rotted out on the under-side. The biggest pumpkins we sold this year were 60 pounds and 58 pounds, and we had dozens that were over 40 pounds each.

(This was our largest pumpkin)

The Connecticut Field pumpkins that we grew last year were all medium in size, ranging from 10-20 pounds. This year they were bigger too, ranging from 15-30 pounds. However, the Lumina pumpkins from last year's crop were larger compared to this year's Lumina's pumpkins which were smaller. But this year's Lumina's were popular, and we sold out of them by the end of the first sale day! The Hybrid kind that we tried this year didn't grow well at all--only 2 pumpkins grew out of an entire row, so we won't be planting them again in the future! Out of that 1/2 acre planted, over 500 pumpkins grew! It was another fabulous year for growing pumpkins!

(at the start of the first sale day)

(at the start of the second sale day)

We opened the patch to the public two Saturdays in October, and we also sold pumpkins by appointment throughout the week. We had a lot of customers this year, even more than last year! And thankfully, the weather held out pretty good. It was so fun for me to talk to people as they came, and I loved to watch as they picked out their own special pumpkins from the hundreds to choose from. I enjoyed every minute of it!

At the end of each sale day, we pile the pumpkins in the center of the field and cover them with tarps. This helps them not be affected so much by the frost, and prevents them from deteriorating as quickly. It is probably my least favorite part about growing pumpkins--lifting and moving hundreds of pumpkins each day. It is hard on mine and Josh's backs! Before the start of each sale day, we take the pumpkins from the pile and spread them across the field. The first morning of the first sale day, it took us over an hour to move all the pumpkins out and spread into the field. Thankfully, at the end of the second sale day, some neighbors and family came and helped out with the lifting and moving of the pumpkins back to the piles! And the job was done in less than 10 minutes!

Even though it is a family effort to plant and grow and sell the pumpkins, the twins get the proceeds from the patch--it is money put in their savings accounts for their future missions a/o college costs. Ammon doesn't get part of the profit because he earns his own money by mowing lawns and raising 4-H pigs in the summer, and Kanyon is too small to really "help" with the patch to earn money from it just yet. Because Jonah and Micah earn the money, their job is to help carry the pumpkins. We use wheelbarrows and wagons to carry the customer's pumpkins from the patch to the weighing table, and then they help the customers by wheeling the pumpkins to their vehicles for them, too.

We sell the pumpkins for 15 cents per pound, which is comparable to the local grocery store's price of 19 cents per pound. The week before Halloween, they drop their sale price to 12 cents per pound, but the selection of pumpkins isn't as good. The week before Halloween, we dropped our price to buy-one-get-one-free, and there was still 150 pumpkins to choose from! We also play a fun game with our customers: if they can guess the weight of the pumpkin within one pound, they get an extra 50 cents off the price of the pumpkin! There were some people who were really great at the guessing game!

I set up an area for photo-taking at the far end of the patch with a beautiful, natural backdrop of corn stalks and nearby mountains. Several people took advantage of the outdoor beauty, and brought cameras to photograph their young ones and families on the bench and among the pumpkins.

This year, we also added an extra attraction to the pumpkin patch: a hay-bale maze. We had the idea for it after the patch ended last year, and Edward, my father-in-law, created it for us this summer and fall. It works out perfectly for the area, because he uses that end of the field to store hay anyways! The maze was a huge hit with the kids! It isn't super long, but it's great for playing hide-and-seek in, and most children ran through it multiple times when they were here! I spray-painted the hay bales at the 2 entrances/exits to look like jack-0-lanterns. It made it easier to point out to customers where to start from. I thought they turned out so cute!

When customers weren't around, Jonah and Micah and Ammon were allowed to run along the top of the bales. They loved being able to do that, too!

Because of the added attraction, I felt like this year's patch was more like an 'event' rather than just a 'pumpkin-picking'. People stayed longer so their kids could play and run around. It was such a joy for me to witness the fun that others were having and to feel like a part of it! I've already got another attraction to add to next year's patch that I'm looking forward to!

I LOVE working in the pumpkin patch in October! I truly cannot wait for next year's patch to do it all over again!!!