The Long Pumpkin Patch: A distinct segment crop for enjoyable and revenue

Barton County Farm Bureau President Roger Long grew up on a farm in Washington County and earned a level in agronomy from Okay-State. He moved to Great Bend in 1991 after accepting a job with a chemical firm.

The Long Pumpkin Patch, situated northeast of Great Bend, began when Roger and his spouse Dana needed to develop one thing with worth however didn’t wish to put money into costly harvesting gear.

Before shifting the enterprise to the present location at 163 NE 30 Road in 2011, Long regarded on the empty tons round his home and bought permission from the owner to develop pumpkins there. He began with half an acre and now has round 4 acres which have advanced into an agri-tourism enterprise. In addition to promoting pumpkins, he has a quarter-acre of blackberries and in addition grows some candy corn and tomatoes to promote on the web site and at farmers markets.

Customers can decide pumpkins from the vines, with sizes starting from huge candidates for jack o’lanterns to tiny gourds. Other points of interest are a gourd launcher, corn maze, bale fort, culvert swing and corn pit.

Long stated his enterprise qualifies as agri-tourism, even when a lot of the enterprise is native.

“As far as pumpkin patches go, we are on the smaller side,” he stated. However, its options make it a preferred vacation spot for the Golden Belt. “ I survey the parking lot, and about one-fourth of the vehicles are from out-of-county.”

The Pumpkin Patch’s 2026 opening day will likely be Saturday, Sept. 26, and it will likely be open Saturdays and Sundays by means of Halloween. Field journeys can be found from Sept. 28 by means of Oct. 30. The barn may be booked for conferences or personal events 12 months spherical.

The corn, tomatoes and berries develop into obtainable round mid-July.