Whether you’re in the market to carve a centrepiece for a Halloween feast, to leave one outside as an invitation to trick or treaters, or you want to cook up some delicious and nutritious dishes, from pumpkin soup to pie, why not extend the fun by making a day of it? There is little so rewarding as picking your own – plus there is plenty of scope to do so, thanks to the proliferation of pumpkin patches across the UK. Time to get our hands dirty and dig deep.
Rectory Farm, Oxfordshire
Rectory Farm has been in the Stanley family for three generations. It first opened its doors to PYO enthusiasts in 1981, with just 1.5 acres. Now, 40-odd years on, there are 45 acres, with a further 60 acres of asparagus fields nearby. The pumpkin patch opens from 20th to 30th October – and, after your labours, do make time for a bite at the Tractor Shack Café. Find out more here.
Garson’s Farm, Esher
With two sites – one in Esher, Surrey and the other in Titchfield, Hampshire – the family-run Garson’s Farm is one of the largest PYO spots in the country. It’s also one with heritage; having been growing since 1871, it once supplied fresh crops to Borough Market. These days, you can go to pick your own, as well as to browse the award-winning garden centre, farm shop and restaurant. Pumpkins are go right now – and if you get a taste for it, why not come back for all your seasonal PYO needs? Find out more here.
Piglet’s Adventure Farm, Kent
Piglet’s Adventure Farm’s annual Pumpkin Festival offers more than just a day amidst the gourds. As its name suggests, it is somewhat more bells and whistles than that, with a mysterious maze to explore (expect to find the gruesome ghosts of York lurking amidst it), as well as a Mad Hatter show. With the cost of the ticket you get to take a pumpkin home free. Plus, there is a pumpkin carving tent, lots of outdoor activities and various cafes to choose from including a great sourdough pizza option. Find out more here.
Avon Valley Adventure Park, Bristol
Grab a wheelbarrow and peruse the plethora of pumpkins on offer at Avon Valley Adventure Park – and, once you’re done, do pop hop on a ride at the small fairground and enjoy the spooky entertainment on offer. It’s dog friendly too, if you fancy taking your hound out for the day. Find out more here.
Bell’s Pumpkin Patch, Lincolnshire
One of the UK’s biggest pumpkin patches, Bell’s produces over a million of the autumnal beauties each year. There are photo ops and plenty of fun to be had in additional to digging up a good gourd – but none is quite so appealing in our books as witnessing Britain’s largest pumpkin canon in action. Find out more here.
Tulleys Farm PYO, West Sussex
Spread across 90 acres, Tulleys Farm grows more than a million pumpkins each year – and should you feel that picking them by day is too tame an exercise, you can always opt for one of its pumpkin nights, when you can set to the task in the moonlight. Find out more here.
Cammas Hall, Hertforshire
Locals who like to harvest their own food will be well familiar with Cammas Hall, which has a steady stream of produce throughout the year. Now that the summer fruits are over, it’s pumpkins aplenty – all alongside a rich assortment of entertainment in the form of the Halloween witch and even a pumpkin volcano. Find out more here.
Mr Pumpkin, Derby
A fourth-generation arable farm in Morley, just outside Derby, Mr Pumpkin opened its PYO pumpkin offering in 2017 with a crop of 7,500. Now, just five years on, it has over 90,000 with over 40 varieties to choose from. As they say, ‘Orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, star shaped pumpkins, giant pumpkins, teeny tiny pumpkins, warty pumpkins, striped pumpkins, ugly pumpkins, we really do have the perfect pumpkin for every pumpkin household this Halloween.’ Find out more here.
Secrett’s At Hurst Farm, Surrey
Pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving: all is on offer at the all-encompassing veg farm. Best of all, though, it also stocks a great craft beer selection which makes for a good incentive/ reward for your labours in the field. Find out more here.
By Nancy Alsop
Updated October 2023
