What a brilliant start to half term fun for so many this weekend.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

The 7th year of our lovely rustic pumpkin patch has opened again and welcomed hundreds of people over the weekend. Enjoying the sunshine (and a bit of rain) wheelbarrow, pumpkin seeking, straw bale climbing, tractor tyre fun this weekend.

We have so many different varieties this year and many huge pumpkins still available as well as lots of squashes and other colourful gourds to enhance any autumn displays.

Please park on the field and enjoy the field of pumpkins, or choose from one of the displays we have inside or around the barn.

🎃 Open from 10 - 4pm until Friday 31st. 🎃

Despite the dry weather we have successfully grown an impressive crop this year!

June was perfect for seed planting, initially the ground was ideal, the roots sought moisture below ground and we have many pumpkins this year despite the dry hot summer, there are some impressive sizes too as well as white, nobbly and traditional jack o lanterns, we planted 13 different varieties!

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Come and visit our field and see the 🎃pumpkins exactly how they have grown from their initial seeds, many still remain attached to their over ground vines.

When you arrive, grab a wheelbarrow or bring a strong bag and follow the signs to the pumpkin patch. Enjoy a wander through the natural vegetation we have left (adds interest and helps protect the pumpkins while they grow) we have had 🐿️ squirrels pinching gourds and 🦌deer eating the pumpkins in past years.

Choose your pumpkin by either twisting it off the vine, or you may find that some have already been cut, and pop it in the wheelbarrow and return to the barn for them to be priced up. The price depends on the hole they fit through on our measuring table. Prices start from £1. Decorative gourds are from 50p. With lots of colourful varieties that are good for eating from £2.

🟠 When it’s really busy you may have to wait for a wheelbarrow.

There will be 🌾 straw bales to climb on and other free play activities for the children. We have ☕️ drinks, 🍰cakes, biscuits and sausage rolls - while they last early morning only (from our own pork) available from the barn where there will be a toilet and hand washing facilities.

Picasso 🥔 potatoes from Tasty Tates in Ramsey will be available, with eggs and 🍯 honey from Somersham.

🥔 Potato prices:

3kg - £3.75

7.5kg - £6.50

25kg - £13.50

🥚 Eggs £2 for 6

🌼 Bag of bulbs £1.50 for 15 mixed daffodils

🍯 Honey

340g jar £7

We accept cash and contactless and you only pay for what you purchase, its free to enter.

Please note the play area and patch are on uneven ground, its dry at the moment but can become muddy so please wear suitable footwear. The barn is wheelchair accessible.

We are open from 10 - 4pm

Daily during half term from Saturday 25th October - 31st (closing time on 31st TBC)

HOPEFULLY THERE WILL PARKING ON THE FIELD - weather permitting. Please check signs on arrival, facebook will be updated on the day if parking needs to be off site and on local side streets.

We look forward to seeing you soon 🎃

Pumpkin harvest fun time!

It’s always a very busy couple of weeks and we often have mild sunny warm weather so the patch is very popular.

Even the 2 rainy Sunday mornings back in Oct 2023 didn’t put people off as they braved the weather and the mud!

We have seen lots of people come and find their pumpkins, we have bought and built more wheelbarrows and baked lots of cakes, sold lots of eggs, honey and potatoes too. Adults and children have had much fun climbing all over the straw bales and enjoyed the mild weather this October.

General information
We are proud of our simple patch of goodness. Come and visit us next year for your pumpkins, pick you own from the field where the plants will have all grown from seed planted directly into the ground. The vines grow across the ground producing flowers from which the pumpkins grow.

⁕ Parking on the field (weather permitting) plenty of side street parking available, yard signs updated on the day

⁕ Straw bale climbing

⁕ Hot and cold drinks and homemade cakes and cookies from £1

⁕ Potatoes from Tasty Tates, Ramsey and local honey (Oakington) and eggs

*Dogs on leads welcome

* Please note there are no permanent toilet facilities on site*

Buxhall Farm

Mill Lane

Histon

CB24 9HW

June / Jul and August were exceptionally dry with hardly any rainfall. The pumpkins grew, despite the lack of water and considering they are 90% water they are an impressively resilient vegetable. When we visited the patch in August many of the plants were looking distressed with their leaves turning colour. The pumpkins looked healthy enough though and some were impressive in size already at that time 2 months early!

Now they are ready to be picked, displayed, carved and eaten 🎃👍

May - July 2022

The seeds were directly planted straight in the ground this year, saving much labour time. Many of the plants have grown well despite the dry weather conditions. The fruits were looking good and hopefully they will continue to grow as it’s still a couple of months until harvest!

We have a couple of new additions to the patch this year 🕷🕷😁

Pumpkins Oct 2021

What a great week we had, the weather was kind and we saw lots of people visit the patch, grab a wheelbarrow to go find 🎃 of all shapes and sizes. Children (and adults) enjoyed playing on the straw bales, grabbing a hot drink and some yummy cake.

We raffled our 2 biggest 🎃 and raised £100 which we donated to the Peadiatric Department at Addenbrookes hospital Cambridge. They are going to use the money to buy some toys.

Thank you for visiting us this year.

👻🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃👻

We have had a lot of fun as always getting ready for opening. With wheelbarrow building, sorting signs, mowing grass, arranging the parking areas, sweeping the barn and putting the marquee up ready for “find and pick your own pumpkin, fun time” this half term.

This will be the 4th year for our unique pumpkin patch. We are pleased to be able to offer more straw bale climbing fun and other activities this year.

We have lots of ornamental gourds, traditional orange lantern and round varieties, more flavoursome edible and spooky warty pumpkins to choose from - all you have to do is grab a wheelbarrow and find them - oh and visit the barn for drinks, cake and produce - we will be having a fresh delivery of Tasty Tates Picasso potatoes just in time, eggs and local honey from bees kept in Oakington.

We tried to grow some other vegetables from seed this year, sweetcorn, sunflowers also. Unfortunately deer wiped out the sweetcorn and many of the sunflowers’ young plants were eaten by rabbits...

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In 2018 at Buxhall Farm we dedicated some land to our ”pumpkin patch” and below are some photos from last year when we opened for the first time.

In 2019 the growing season was very different and we planted many more plants from seed at the end of May for the year’s October half term activities, the plants have grown well and so did the weeds!

It has been very satisfying to see so many pumpkins in the field. It was good to see lots of people visit us on our opening weekend and throughout half term. Embracing the fresh air (if a bit damp), picking their pumpkins and then enjoying a hot drink and homemade cake in the barn.  

We love our pumpkin patch and developing the “pick your own” has been much family fun.  From building and painting the wheelbarrows and signs, planning the straw bale climbing, craft activities and not forgetting lots of baking!                                                   

Buxhall Farm, Mill Lane, Histon, Cambs CB249HW

Photos from 2022 so far: