A Dumfriesshire farm has become a pumpkin paradise just in time for Hallowe’en.
Tenant farmers Stuart and Chloe Graham planted 800 pumpkin at the start of June at the 366-acre Uppercleuch Farm on the Applegirth Estate near Lockerbie and have turned it into a seasonal picking fest called The Patch.
The couple are looking forward to seeing plenty of visitors through an online pre-booking system and are expecting to be very busy during the October school break with youngsters wanting to choose their own pumpkin for a Hallowe’en jack-o-lantern and enjoy farmyard activities.
Last week they welcomed children from nearby Applegarth Primary through the Royal Highland Education Trust Dumfries and Galloway Countryside Initiative, who gave the farm experience a huge thumbs up.
The children braved the rain to see the pumpkin patch and were taught how they are grown and harvested.
They also enjoyed meeting a Jersey cow which has just been brought inside for the winter, met pet sheep and learned more about crops grown by the farmers.
The couple’s forward-thinking plans for the farm are showing the potential to diversify income over the coming years to adapt to the ever-changing face of Scotland’s farming sector.
These plans include opening the farm up for “public experience days” to offer the public an insight into the workings of a successful livestock farm and helping to promote education both of sustainable food production and ways to encourage more people into farming.
The Patch is not just for children’s Hallowe’en lanterns as it is hoped they will also appeal to anyone wanting to cook with pumpkins – which are being cut from the plants ready for people to buy – and use in a variety of recipes.
To book a visit go to https://bookeo.com/the_patch_uppercleuch
