Pumpkin patches get ready for visitors as autumn season moves in

WEIR, Miss. (WCBI) – Pumpkin patches are a favorite fall destination, but it takes a lot of work to get those mazes and pumpkins together.

Picking the perfect pumpkin is a fun fall pastime for many families and friends. But all that fun takes a lot of work from farmers.

Getting through the growing season can be tough, but Fall can be the most profitable time thanks to the popularity of agricultural activities like the pumpkin patch.

Owner of Dry Bottom Farms in Choctaw County Aaron Stovall said he and his wife did not know how much work went into a patch.

“We put in a lot of late nights and thousands of hours into planning and preparation. Especially two weeks before we open. I was working part-time and coming home and working until dark or after every single day. People don’t realize how much work is involved. And we didn’t realize that either until we started a couple of years ago,” said Stovall.

One of the challenges is it’s hard to grow pumpkins in Mississippi. Dry Bottom suffered a flood earlier this year that wiped out much of the pumpkin crop. When these types of problems arise, farmers have to find ways to outsource.

And it’s not just pumpkin patches. Farmers face these types of issues all year long, but they continue for the love of what they do.

“Farming in general takes a lot of love. You have to love it because if you were getting paid by the hour you wouldn’t do it. The joyous moments are when people tell me ‘Oh this is a beautiful place’ or ‘That’s a beautiful pumpkin’, ‘We had so much fun here today, thank y’all for doing this.’ We wouldn’t be doing it without the people. That’s a big aspect and brings me joy,” said Stovall.

The Dry Bottom Farms Pumpkin Patch in Weir is open on the weekends.

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