Iowa pumpkin patches are a homegrown tradition

Baby Bear. 

Rascal.

Knucklehead.

No, those aren’t my children’s nicknames—they’re varieties of pumpkins. 

Although… if the shoe fits…

Anyway, today’s pumpkins are no longer your standard Charlie Brown orange. They come in every shape, color and size imaginable. (Which makes being a professional pumpkin porch decorator a true artform.)

Pumpkin varieties 

For Mike and Maria Gallagher, owners of Holly View Acres Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch near Hornick, Iowa, these hues are months in the making. 

“Many people who come each fall have no idea that you can have so many different kinds,” said Maria. “It’s fun to be able to teach them about the different varieties and their names.”

This year, the Gallaghers planted more than 70 varieties of pumpkins. 

And if you thought pumpkins were only for decorations or carving, think again. 

“Many varieties are edible and good for more than just pies,” Maria adds. “The stacker pumpkins make great baking and soup pumpkins.”

Iowa’s pumpkin growing season

The Gallaghers are in their fourth pumpkin growing season, and Maria says each one has had its own challenges. 

Pumpkins in Iowa are typically seeded in mid-May and harvested between the end of August to the end of October. 

Between those months, farmers deal with weather impacts, pests and diseases. 

And according to Maria, some of those pests have spotted fur and twitchy little tails.

“I have ground squirrels who like to dig up my seed in the spring and eat it, which means replanting is necessary,” she said. “I have found that planting before a rain helps to combat this issue as well. They won't dig if the dirt is wet.”

(I wish that was true of my own muddy children.)

However, it’s worth mentioning carefully timed watering can make or break a crop. Drought creates difficult growing conditions that result in small pumpkins or sometimes no pumpkins at all. But too much water makes pumpkin susceptible to mold-like diseases and growing pressures due to weeds. 

Because of the rain this year—the 6^th wettest summer on record in the last 153 years— Maria said their pumpkins matured at a slower rate because their patch stayed greener for longer. 

To help overcome these issues, the Gallaghers use crop protection products to keep their pumpkins healthy and vibrant through fall for farm visitors. 

Make pumpkins last longer

On the farm, the Gallaghers do everything they can to raise a hardy crop, but if you’d like to make your pumpkin last longer, Maria says to keep them out of direct sunlight.

Also, after a trip to a pumpkin patch with her preschool class, my daughter came home with some advice: Don’t carry a pumpkin by the stem. One of her classmates learned the hard way when they used the stem as a handle and it snapped off, which can make pumpkins prone to rot. 

As for the leftover pumpkins at Holly View Acres, they are upcycled into a gourmet meal.   

“In years past, we’ve found local farmers with livestock who will feed them to their cows, sheep and chickens,” she says. 

It’s all part of the growing cycle. And thanks to the care of farmers like the Gallaghers, fall is more than a season, it’s an experience homegrown right here in Iowa.  

 

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Learn more about author Caitlyn Lamm here.