Anyone growing pumpkins?

[Recoil]

Just wondering if anyone grows pumpkins and sells direct to the public? How do you charge, by size? I'm not growing my own, but will be selling some for a local grower this year. He feeds any that don't sell to his sheep.

 

[colhonk]

My wife grows some, but gives them to grand kids for Halloween.

 

[czechmate]

Used to.
Quid for normal (small footballs), £1.50 for big ones

 

[Yale]

There is lady who farms near Malpas,cheshire who was featured in a Welsh TV series which documents farming characters of Wales and their lives called Cefn Gwlad (a welsh language programme).

She along with her husband grow a large patch within their maize crop which has paths cut as a maze then families pick their own.

It was fascinating.

 

[Yale]

Cefn Gwlad | S4C Clic
www.s4c.co.uk/clic/e_level2.shtml?programme_id=512412963

22 Sep 2014 - Dai Jones, Llanilar visits Barbara and Derek Hughes, at Ivy House Farm, Malpas, in Cheshire. Although she was brought up in a council house ...

6 minutes on.

 

[Recoil]

Well my first year selling pumpkins was a bit of any eye opener. Sold nearly 300 at the farm. Great fun meeting all the people looking for the perfect pumpkin.

 

[Kidds]

Seems to be a shortage this year, or increased demand.

 

[JNP]

Was it worth it Recoil?

 

[Recoil]

Yeah, it was good. Certainly worth taking the time off from farming to be a pumpkin seller for a while. Thursday and Friday were mad when the supermarkets ran out and then only had green manky ones. Hoping to grow a few next year and do a small pick your own type thing.

 

[JPB]

How do you go about getting pumpkin seeds, Or do you buy them as plants? Wheres the best place to sell them as pyo won't be an option for me. Thanks

 

[Recoil]

Not sure. I didn't grow them this time, but going to have a go next year. We are based on a busy road for selling.

 

[Milkcow365]

Anyone still doing this?

 

[FordsonFarming]

yes, we grow about an acre a year to sell from our farm shop

 

[Milkcow365]

yes, we grow about an acre a year to sell from our farm shop

Do you start them in a green house? I’m in sw Scotland I’m not sure how they would grow outdoors from the start? Have I missed the boat this year?

 

[FordsonFarming]

Do you start them in a green house? I’m in sw Scotland I’m not sure how they would grow outdoors from the start? Have I missed the boat this year?

yes, we plant the seed into module trays and start them off in the greenhouse then harden them off outside before planting with a transplanter

 

[Milkcow365]

yes, we plant the seed into module trays and start them off in the greenhouse then harden them off outside before planting with a transplanter

Bit more to it than I thought then. I thought the maize drill would sow the seeds direct into ground

 

[FordsonFarming]

Bit more to it than I thought then. I thought the maize drill would sow the seeds direct into ground

did you see this post?

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index...p-till-drilling-photo-gallery.61/post-6934216

we do it the way we do because it suits us, doesn't mean its the only way!

 

[Handy Andy]

We used to grow about 1/3 of an acre a year to sell at the door in the run up to Halloween. It was a nice little sideline for us until the supermarkets discovered Halloween and by about 2005 we were only able to charge about half of what we had been asking for them around 2001. Great fun for kids growing them. We planted them in the greenhouse then hardened them off outside for a couple of weeks before planting out in the field with hand trowels. They needed plenty of dung under them and watering in well. Any surplus were fed to the stock.

 

[cquick]

If you drill them this week you might just get away with it, assuming you have warm moist soil for the crop to get away well, and we get a forgiving summer.
Due to a balls-up we had to re-drill some of our area last year on the third week in June and about 40% of the fruits were orange by Oct 31.

 

[Lofty1984]

They can be drilled with a maize drill just need to change the seed discs