Following a very busy few days, the Pumpkin patch is now CLOSED

Thank you so much for your support again this year.

Happy Halloween!

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Background this October

Our rustic pumpkin patch is back again for another week of wheelbarrow, pumpkin seeking fun!

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

There are many different varieties, from giant pumpkins, white pumpkins, nobbly pumpkins, traditional jack o lanterns and not forgetting the decorative gourds!

There will be straw bales to climb on and other free play activities for the children. We have drinks, cakes and biscuits 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 our eggs and local honey too.

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

We are open from 10 - 4pm for 6 days during this October half term. Please note we are not open every day, with a break of 3 days in the middle of the week, this is due to other work commitments.

NO PARKING ON THE FIELD - Please check signs on arrival, facebook will be updated on the day if parking needs to be off site and on local roads.

October 2022 - was pumpkin harvest fun time!

After a very busy couple of weeks with lots of sunny warm weather the patch has been very popular this year.

Even the 2 rainy Sunday mornings 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...

As always the safety of everyone is very important and we will be providing hand sanitiser and cleaner for the wheelbarrows also.

We hope that everyone will be mindful of others and encourage mask wearing in the barn if possible, but more importantly to come and enjoy the fresh air and the pumpkins.

Our yummy home made cakes and biscuits will be available and we will be providing hot drinks to takeaway also.

We accept cash and card / contactless payments over £5.  Pumpkin prices will be from £1 with giant ones around £8.

We will be having a raffle for the biggest pumpkin to raise funds for the Paediatric emergency department at Addenbrookes, raffle to be drawn at midday on Friday 29th. We have donated some pumpkins and ceramic money boxes for their play sessions and to keep children entertained this halloween - look out for photos of their carving creations on our social media pages.

SEEDS & PLANTS 

Following seed sowing late April and planting out early June, the plants and pumpkins have done well this year, despite the dull August fortunately the sunny September helped them to ripen and turned many more orange than last year. It’s looking like a better harvest... We experimented by planting seeds direct in the ground as well as in trays. This process saved much time and the seeds have grown well and the plants are all very similar in productivity, definitely something we will look at for future years.

We planted 1000’s of different varieties of pumpkin seeds again this year, including more flavoursome edible varieties and also the decorative gourds all of which were planted end of April early May. Then in mid June we planted them out in this years new patch, having to rotate the ground each year in order to get the best growth from nutrients in the soil. We experimented with direct to ground seed planting at home in Oakington, with impressive results and an amazing crop of larger pumpkins - these will all be available from the farm gate on Cambridge Road, Oakington and at Buxhall farm too.

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: