Canalside Farm prepares for their first ever pumpkin crop

Canalside Farm has grown their own produce for more than 30 years but have never grown pumpkins – until now.

In May, at the farm, near Stafford, they decided to plant 1,500 pumpkins for visitors to have their pick to carve up some spooky faces for Halloween.

This means there could be 4,500 in time for Halloween because pumpkin plants usually yield 2-3 pumpkins.

Chris Barton, owner of the Farm, said: “We are very excited about our first ever pumpkin crop and hope that people will come and enjoy this new ‘pick your own’ experience as well as the activities we have planned over the Halloween period.

"The cooks in our café have also been thinking of ways in which they can incorporate pumpkins on the menu and have come up with various dishes such as pumpkin pie, soup and even pumpkin cupcakes! I’ve been out to the field this morning and the pumpkins are beginning to ripen nicely, so we’re hoping that we might even have some in time to launch our new pumpkin cupcakes for National Cupcake Week which starts on the 18th September.”