It’s 39 days until the first official day of Autumn (September 22nd!), but fall is already in the air here at Vala’s! Early season apples are beginning to ripen, trees are showing signs of fall foliage, mums are about to bloom, and pumpkins are starting to turn from green to bright orange! Needless to say (but will say it anyways), the best time of the year is almost upon us, and so is the fall harvest! So start dusting off your fall boots and sweaters, prepare your pumpkin spice latte, and get ready for an exciting day at the pumpkin patch as we celebrate our 40th year in business!
I could go on and on about all the wonderful aspects of fall, however for this week’s Ag update we will focus on one crop that hits all the feel-goods: Pumpkins. Even saying the word makes us giddy!
We are very fortunate this year to have a bountiful, healthy crop. Pumpkins are growing well, colors are starting to show, and we’ve had nice timely rains that didn’t require us to irrigate (crops love natural rainwater). We plant 50 acres of pumpkins, on average about 200,000 seeds going in the ground, and over 100 different varieties to choose from…that’s a lot of pumpkins! Planning out this year’s crop, we decided to do something a little different. When you take the hayrack ride and arrive at the pumpkin field, you’ll see more than just orange out there. We planted some gourds, unique ornamentals, some very big, and some very small pumpkins, with the intent of there being a perfect pumpkin for everyone to choose. We will still have pumpkins pre-picked up by the Exit Barn but highly encourage you to hop on the hayrack ride out to the pumpkin field and pick that perfect pumpkin waiting for you. Listen to the laughter and joy in the pumpkin fields and take a minute to truly admire and soak up all of the natural beauty the fall season provides. That’s the foundation of Vala’s and how we started 40 years ago, and it’s a memory you’ll never forget!
Until next time, happy harvest!
— Kyle Willis
Director of Agriculture