Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Where to get a great pumpkin

Make like Charlie Brown

That “just right” pumpkin is waiting for you.
That “just right” pumpkin is waiting for you.

My pal Bernice and I sat down at the Embarcadero watching the sun set behind Point Loma more than an hour earlier than it did a couple of months ago. “Summer’s gone,” I sighed. “Back to the school-year grind. My one consolation is that autumn is my favorite season of the year — the cool breezes, the changing leaves, the sweaters...”

“And pumpkins,” Bernice interjected. “I was just reading about them. Did you know the largest pumpkin ever grown weighed over 2000 pounds. It was grown in Germany last year.”

“No, I didn’t know. All my knowledge of pumpkins I learned from Charlie Brown,” I laughed.

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” Bernice quoted.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“Exactly. Hey, what do you say we bring the kids out to a pumpkin patch this fall,” I suggested, “rather than just bringing home pumpkins from Sprouts or Walmart?”

Thus began my quest for the Great Pumpkin Patch of San Diego.

Oma’s Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside opened its pumpkin picking to the public on September 29. Children’s admission is $10 (ages 1 to 13), and it includes a pumpkin and a water bottle. Adults cost $5. If your group is larger than 20 people, reservations are needed. The farm offers hayrides every half hour and the ride accommodates around 100 people. There is a hay-bale maze, a petting corral, a sand pile, a Cottonseed Mountain for the kids to climb, and a racetrack for tricycle racers. The gift shop sells seasonal items...Indian corn anyone? The farm is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Group field trips are scheduled for mornings, so come in the afternoon if you are not with a field trip.

Lavender Hill pumpkin man

Picturesque Lavender Hill Pumpkin Farm, located in Fallbrook, opens for pickers on October 3. With 10,000 organically grown pumpkins, there are plenty for the picking, from the 300-pound North Atlantic Giants down to the sweet little Jack B. Littles. The farm just offers pumpkins and lots of them; you will find no petting zoo or carnival rides here. The farm is open Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Unsold pumpkins by the end of October are given to children in the community who might not otherwise have their own pumpkin.

Suzie’s Farms, located in south San Diego, is hosting Pumpkin Palooza on October 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 120-acre organic farm will be opening up its two acres of pumpkin crops for visitors to choose for their fall decorating. Farm tours, food trucks, and live music will add to the festivity of the day.

Stehly Farms Organics in Valley Center is offering October Pumpkin Patch, a day of pumpkin picking, on Sunday, October 18. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can choose your own. Admission tickets ($5) need to be purchased online.

Bates Nut Farm Pumpkin Patch has been growing fresh produce for over a half century. Starting on September 24 right on through the night of costumes and ghouls, the farm’s patch of pumpkins will be open for the picking. Located in Valley Center, the farm grows a variety of pumpkins from the big daddy Big Macs to the minis. There are animals to pet, ponies to ride, tractor hayrides, a straw maze, a rock-climbing wall, and live entertainment on the weekends. For all the creative creatures, the farm is offering a Scarecrow Contest on October 10, from 11 a.m. to noon. Bring your scarecrow creation to the farm before 10 a.m. on October 10, and each entry will receive a free pumpkin. First-place winner goes home with $200 and a $50 gift certificate.

Admission is free but parking on weekends in October costs $5.

Julian Pumpkin Patch at Julian Mining Company opens for pumpkin choosing on September 29. The patch offers pumpkins, hayrides, petting zoo, and cider-press. Pumpkins cost around $.50 per pound. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for kids. The pumpkin patch is open Friday from noon until 5 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
That “just right” pumpkin is waiting for you.
That “just right” pumpkin is waiting for you.

My pal Bernice and I sat down at the Embarcadero watching the sun set behind Point Loma more than an hour earlier than it did a couple of months ago. “Summer’s gone,” I sighed. “Back to the school-year grind. My one consolation is that autumn is my favorite season of the year — the cool breezes, the changing leaves, the sweaters...”

“And pumpkins,” Bernice interjected. “I was just reading about them. Did you know the largest pumpkin ever grown weighed over 2000 pounds. It was grown in Germany last year.”

“No, I didn’t know. All my knowledge of pumpkins I learned from Charlie Brown,” I laughed.

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” Bernice quoted.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“Exactly. Hey, what do you say we bring the kids out to a pumpkin patch this fall,” I suggested, “rather than just bringing home pumpkins from Sprouts or Walmart?”

Thus began my quest for the Great Pumpkin Patch of San Diego.

Oma’s Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside opened its pumpkin picking to the public on September 29. Children’s admission is $10 (ages 1 to 13), and it includes a pumpkin and a water bottle. Adults cost $5. If your group is larger than 20 people, reservations are needed. The farm offers hayrides every half hour and the ride accommodates around 100 people. There is a hay-bale maze, a petting corral, a sand pile, a Cottonseed Mountain for the kids to climb, and a racetrack for tricycle racers. The gift shop sells seasonal items...Indian corn anyone? The farm is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Group field trips are scheduled for mornings, so come in the afternoon if you are not with a field trip.

Lavender Hill pumpkin man

Picturesque Lavender Hill Pumpkin Farm, located in Fallbrook, opens for pickers on October 3. With 10,000 organically grown pumpkins, there are plenty for the picking, from the 300-pound North Atlantic Giants down to the sweet little Jack B. Littles. The farm just offers pumpkins and lots of them; you will find no petting zoo or carnival rides here. The farm is open Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Unsold pumpkins by the end of October are given to children in the community who might not otherwise have their own pumpkin.

Suzie’s Farms, located in south San Diego, is hosting Pumpkin Palooza on October 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 120-acre organic farm will be opening up its two acres of pumpkin crops for visitors to choose for their fall decorating. Farm tours, food trucks, and live music will add to the festivity of the day.

Stehly Farms Organics in Valley Center is offering October Pumpkin Patch, a day of pumpkin picking, on Sunday, October 18. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can choose your own. Admission tickets ($5) need to be purchased online.

Bates Nut Farm Pumpkin Patch has been growing fresh produce for over a half century. Starting on September 24 right on through the night of costumes and ghouls, the farm’s patch of pumpkins will be open for the picking. Located in Valley Center, the farm grows a variety of pumpkins from the big daddy Big Macs to the minis. There are animals to pet, ponies to ride, tractor hayrides, a straw maze, a rock-climbing wall, and live entertainment on the weekends. For all the creative creatures, the farm is offering a Scarecrow Contest on October 10, from 11 a.m. to noon. Bring your scarecrow creation to the farm before 10 a.m. on October 10, and each entry will receive a free pumpkin. First-place winner goes home with $200 and a $50 gift certificate.

Admission is free but parking on weekends in October costs $5.

Julian Pumpkin Patch at Julian Mining Company opens for pumpkin choosing on September 29. The patch offers pumpkins, hayrides, petting zoo, and cider-press. Pumpkins cost around $.50 per pound. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for kids. The pumpkin patch is open Friday from noon until 5 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Southern California Asks: 'What Is Vinivia?' Meet the New Creator-First Livestreaming App

Next Article

Woodpeckers are stocking away acorns, Amorous tarantulas

Stunning sycamores, Mars rising
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader