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Pick your own pumpkin in the UK

The leaves on the trees are a glorious golden, we’ve unearthed our woolly knits and there’s a magical crispness in the air. Autumn is upon us. This is one of our favourite times of year; a time for long family walks, hearty family meals and pumpkin picking.

Pumpkins are native to Central America and Mexico, but now grow on six continents - all but Antarctica. So, if you’re one of the many families hoping to pick your own pumpkins in the UK this year and looking for a pumpkin picking patch near you, you’re in luck. Our team have researched pumpkin patches up and down the UK, to find the best value and overall experience for you to pick your own pumpkin.

The UK’s Best Pumpkin Patches

Cannon Hall Farm, South Yorkshire
Farmer Copleys, Yorkshire
Cotswold Farm Park, Cheltenham
Cattows Farm, Leicestershire
Garsons Farm, Surrey
Rectory Farm, Oxfordshire
Hatter's Farm Pumpkin Patch, Essex
Mr Pumpkin, Derby
Sompting Pumpkins, Sompting
Craigies Farm, Edinburgh

Cannon Hall Farm in South Yorkshire took the top spot with a perfect score of 100. Following closely were Farmer Copleys in Yorkshire with a score of 80.3 and Cotswold Farm Park in Cheltenham scoring 80. The research also highlighted the pumpkin patches with the highest Google ratings. Windmill Animal Farm in Ormskirk, Sompting Pumpkins in Sompting, and Arnprior Farm in Scotland all achieved an impressive rating of 4.8 out of 5.

Dog-Friendly Pumpkin Picking Sites In The UK

Alongside the top 20 family-friendly pumpkin picking patches, the research also highlighted the top five best dog-friendly pumpkin-picking patches. If you want to take your four-legged friend along with you, here are the dog-friendly pumpkin picking spots you need to know about:

The UK’s most dog-friendly pumpkin picking sites

Marsh Farm, Essex
Trentham Gardens, Staffordshire
Cattows Farm, Leicestershire
Tulleys Farm, Surrey
Cairnie Fruit Farm & Mega Maze, Scotland

Free Pumpkin Picking Sites In The UK

Our research also highlighted the top five cheapest pumpkin picking patches in the UK, all offering free entry to the pumpkin patches. The cost of pumpkins is not included.

The UK’s Cheapest Pumpkin Picking Sites

The Pumpkin House, Norfolk
Magical Malpas PYO Farm, Cheshire
Frogmary Green Farm, Somerset
Dunham Massey Ice Cream, Greater Manchester
Siam Hall Spooky Pumpkins, Essex

More Pumpkin Recipes

If all this talk of pumpkins has got you in the mood for some pumpkin picking near you, why not check out one of the top rated pumpkin patches in the UK. Or, if you’d prefer to rustle up some delicious pumpkin recipes at home instead, we’ve got just the thing for you…

Pumpkin Soup

Chicken and Avocado Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Chocolate Pumpkin Thumbprint Cookies

Our Pumpkin Patch Rating Methodology

Information regarding whether the pumpkin picking patch was dog-friendly or not came from the individual business’ website, with the vast majority stipulating that they must be leashed. Service/guide dog entry was not included within our rating system.

When it came to the average cost, we took the information from the individual company’s website for a family (two adults and two children) to experience the pumpkin patch. The cost of pumpkins was not included. In terms of the pumpkin patches’ followers, this information was taken via the patches’ Instagram or Facebook page. Data correct as of 17/09/2022.

The final variable within our ranking factors was ‘other attractions’ which included whether the experience within the price included more than just pumpkin picking, i.e., face painting or a maze. This information was also all sourced from the individual company’s site.

Grow Pumpkin Seeds For Next Autumn!

Want to reduce your household food waste and get savvy with leftover pumpkin seeds after you've carved your creation? Try growing your own at-home pumpkin patch in time for next Halloween, it only requires a few simple steps!

Choose an area of your garden that gets plenty of sun, and mark spaces for planting about eight feet apart to give your pumpkins the best chance to grow.
Ensure that the holes that you've plotted are around 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide, then add a layer of aged compost to the hole. Do this shortly after Halloween to begin prepping the soil.
Pumpkin season starts around mid-September, so keep your seeds safe and plant them around six months before - roughly March/April.
When pumpkins come into season, watch as your patch produces goods that are perfect for carving some spooky designs in to!

Enjoy the vegetable of Halloween in many ways this year, and experiment with your own pumpkin creations - from carving exciting designs to cooking up a pumpkin-based feast with your leftovers! Enjoy new flavours everyday with HelloFresh, order your first meal delivery box today, and be tempted by our recipes.

Pumpkin recipes

Best Rated Pumpkin recipes

Pump Up The Jam Chicken