PERRYSBURG, Ohio — 'Tis the season for apple and pumpkin picking! Many farms across northwest Ohio are starting to open up and welcome guests.
"We have even more variety than we’ve ever had," Gwen Langenderfer with Pumpkin Pete's & Gwen's Gourds in Perrysburg said. "We have over 100 varieties of gourds and pumpkins this year. I feel like that’s kind of our niche. We’re doing pretty good we had a dry spell in July, so some stuff is coming in late, but I feel like we have a really good variety to start.".
Typically, when we see a lot of rain it can impact both pumpkin and apple crop. But this year there was plenty of sun and the right amount of rain for many farmers which means both the apples and pumpkins are ready for picking. A small dry spell in July delayed a couple types of pumpkins and apples but only by about a week or so.
"We started picking pumpkins, squash and gourds last week. Apples look beautiful," Debbie Stevens-Laux with Stevens Gardens said.
While the crop is looking solid, farmers agree it's a difficult and sometimes stressful experience figuring out what will be good each growing season. Langenderfer with Pumpkin Pete's Gwen's and Gourds said they have the most variety they've ever had this year, but were initially a little anxious.
"You know, it’s a really humbling experience," she explained. "You find seeds start popping out of the ground and some varieties do sooner than others. And it could be a little bit nerve-racking at that point. And then you start getting weeds and then there’s diseases and bugs, but you just kind of battle it one day at a time."
Below are a list of area farms that have pumpkin and apple picking in northwest Ohio/southeast Michigan:
Fleitz Pumpkin Farm - 7133 Seaman Rd Oregon
MacQueen Orchards - 7605 Garden Rd, Holland, OH 43528
Gust Brother's Pumpkin Farm - 13639 Mulberry Road, Ottawa Lake
Pumpkin Pete's Gwen's & Gourds - 10988 Neiderhouse Rd. Perrysburg, OH
Stevens Gardens - 4550 Weckerly Rd, Monclova, OH 43542
Haslinger Orchards - 7404 US-6, Gibsonburg, OH 43431
Wheeler Farms - 11500 Obee Rd, Whitehouse, OH 43571
Jason's Pumpkin Patch - 12629 W. Salem Carroll Rd Oak Harbor
The Pumpkin Peddler - 20354 North Dixie Highway, Bowling Green
BJ Pumpkin Farm - 977 Secor Rd. Temperance, MI
Kackleberry Farm - 6421 North Stoney Creek Rd. Monroe, MI
Trabbic Family Pumpkin Farm- 1560 E. Sterns Rd. Erie, MI
JK Orchard & Farm - 1345 Lutz Rd. Lima, OH
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