Pumpkins galore and much more!

Saturday 13 October 2018

Pumpkins are now on sale at Brooklands Farm, with displays including a witches cottage and pumpkin people, meaning choosing your vegetable is an increasingly popular activity in itself.

All of the pumpkins have now been harvested and with the farm having thousands to sell, including many varieties in all shapes and sizes, they said there is something for everyone.

As well as selling their wares, the farmer has displays of the vegetables still on the vine to also give an educational aspect to their origins for their young visitors.

Farmer Graham Dorey said he has been busy mowing back the lawn, meaning plenty of parking is available this month, as it is expected to get busy with people popping in to choose their pumpkins so there is time to carve them before Halloween.

Pictured: There's lots to see at Brooklands farm, including the pumpkin people.

Mr Dorey said "the pumpkins are on sale now and they range in value from 75 pence to £10.00. Everything has now been harvested, it is a long job to get them ready for sale with each and every pumpkin having to be washed, weighed and put out. The work is going on from dusk till dawn with absolutely every pumpkin handled by the team more than once."

Pictured: Peter Hamer has been weighing the pumpkins.

They can't be sure of the exact number they have harvested but estimate it is in the thousands of pumpkins, but Mr Dorey said this year had its challenges with the dry weather.

"It has been a challenging year for the pumpkin crop as we have had a very dry summer which means we have not got a lot of the very giant pumpkins, It seems to have been the larger varieties of pumpkin that have suffered and some have failed to germinate."

There are 14 different varieties of pumpkin grown at Brooklands, ranging from tennis ball size to the bigger variety like the bay horse gold. The largest varieties weigh between 16lb and 25lb.

"Each of the varieties has been affected by the dry conditions, for example instead of growing five on each plant, this year only two or three have been present. However this has been better than last year when we may have had more pumpkins but wet conditions affected the quality with some subject to mould and wasted before harvest. This year the quality of all the pumpkins has been good including fantastic colour and shape."

Pictured: Just some of the pumpkins on show.

They are all different sizes and come from a crop of pumpkins, squashes and gourds which cover eleven vergées of land. Some pumpkins are on display still on their vine as an educational tool to illustrate how the vegetables grow on the land,

Pictured: The pumpkin cottage is open for visitors. 

Mr Dorey said, "this time of year is a busy time for us but I do enjoy it especially when the weather is good and the vibrant orange of the vegetables is a stunning Autumn colour. It is well worth a visit to the farm as along with the pumpkins we have displays out and a witches cottage, but don't worry they all have smiley faces so they are not frightening."

Pictured top: Graham Dorey from Brooklands Farm.