The Story of Our Farm

Kathy’s Pumpkin Patch is part of a 5th generation family farm located in southeast Iowa. We strive to be an ecologically friendly farm and firmly believe in being good stewards of the land. We raise corn, beans, grains, and vegetables, but have a passion for pumpkins! Our mission is to provide a fun, safe, educationally based fall festival experience for families by offering unique hands-on agricultural related activities and an outdoor market featuring our homegrown pumpkins, squash, gourds, and ornamentals.

Our pumpkin passion began in 1994 when our son, Adam, started a small FFA project raising pumpkins. He grew two or three rows each year, and every fall we put a wagon of those pumpkins out by the highway with an honor system jar for payment. When Adam went on to college, our daughter, Amber, continued the tradition for a few more years.

When both children left the “nest”, Greg and I continued our diversified farm operation of corn, beans, hogs, and cattle, but we always had fond memories of those “pumpkin years”. In 2003, after three neck surgeries, Greg needed to eliminate the livestock chores from his daily life. Our thoughts returned to pumpkins, and in 2004 we planted 5 acres and sold them from our farmstead. We were hooked!

Within two years Adam returned with his wife, Julie, after living in St. Louis for several years, to the farm to help “grow” the Patch. Our daughter continues to offer support and graphic arts assistance from Boston as she attends grad-school, and our grandson, Jacob, is our number one “tester” of new games and adventures.

Today we have over 40 acres of pumpkins, squash, gourds, vegetables, and other fall ornamentals. We believe that education and entertainment go hand in hand, and we offer a variety of rural focused activities and events for families, students, and groups of all sizes and ages.

Planting and Harvesting

Each May, our family, with the help of some close friends, begins planting for our fall harvest. This year we added 25 new varieties of pumpkins, squash, and gourds, which brings our total number of varieties to 175. We believe that our roadside stand has one of the largest produce selections in Iowa!

What used to be planted by hand is now seeded in the ground with a planter that was designed by Greg. With over 40 acres of pumpkins, squash, and gourds, it sure makes our planting a bit easier and much faster.

As soon as seeds are planted in the ground, our fields are constantly monitored for growth, weed control, and any signs of possible disease. Integrated pest management techniques are used meaning pesticides are used minimally and only when a specific crop is affected. Our soils are tested annually and fertilizer is used in specific amounts for the crop needs. Cover crops are also used for rotation as well as conservation measures. We find these methods to be the safest for the environment. Each year our crops require several hundred hours of hand hoeing. In addition to all of the hard work, we rely on Mother Nature to give us enough rain and sunshine for a beautiful crop.

By June, our crops are on their way with lengthy vines and beautiful yellow and white flowers. To help with the pollination process, we bring in bees from local beekeepers. We strive to have one bee hive per acre. Each hive contains between 40,000 – 45,000 bees. Without the bees help, we would only have a fraction of the produce we harvest each year.

After pollination occurs, the pumpkins/squash start growing. 45 days later, some of our first product is ready to be picked. Other varieties require 125 days to mature. All 40 acres of pumpkins, squash, and gourds are hand picked and washed. We invite you to our patch to see our fields and visit with us about our growing season.