Halloween Business Ideas Part 2: Start a Pumpkin Patch

So, how many of you have ever dreamed of owning a pumpkin farm.  I have a strange feeling nobody raised their hand on that question.  The truth is, a small specialized farm can make a really good payday for a committed entrepreneur, and if you have a decent amount of land, it can really help you with property taxes also.  The tax rate for agricultural land compared to residential land is significantly lower.  So, if you have some land, or have access to some land, read on!

With it being the beginning of Autumn, and Halloween peeking right around the corner, there gets to be a very high demand for those round orange squashes we know as pumpkins.  Now, I know you are not going to be able to till your land, and grow three acres of pumpkins by next week, but if you plan well enough, you can have a beautiful crop of soon to be jack o lanterns by next season, ready for the masses!

How to get started: The first step starts with planning, if you have never farmed or grew a garden in your life, then you probably want to ask for some outside help.  Many area farmers would love to help you plan and grow your farm (for a nice chunk of your profits).  So, that option is always out there.  If you think you have what it takes to do it yourself, there are many viable options for renting equipment from places like Sunbelt Rentals, or Nations Rent.

The average growth rate of pumpkins is about 4000 per acre, so this gives you some numbers to help you calculate what kind of profits you can make in comparison to how much land you have available.  If you have five acres, you can hope for approximately 15 to 20 thousand pumpkins.

Now, selling pumpkins to places like super markets and at farmers markets is a good option, but it won’t be your most profitable way to go.  You can expect to make anywhere from $1.00 to $2.25 per pumpkin if you are selling in bulk to local grocers, and anywhere from $3.50 to $6.00 a piece if you are selling at a farmers market, but it is going to take you a very long time to sell 20k pumpkins one at a time, and I’m pretty sure they will start to rot before you get rid of 20k pumpkins.

Instead of trying to sell pumpkins, what you really want to sell is a experience.  Bring families to your pumpkin farm, and charge admission of say seven or eight bucks, and along with admission, give everyone a free pumpkin.  This is where the money can rack up a lot faster, and it will be much more enjoyable for you also.  Think about renting out the big inflatable bouncy rooms for the kids, and serving different pumpkin treats to your customers.   You could also rent a large truck and offer a hay ride, and have a small haunted barn on the premises for the kids (G-rated, remember this is the Halloween experience for the much younger kids).  Have other products for sale on site to capitalize on your crowd volume.  Think about pumpkin scented candles and soaps, and other fall related crafts.

Marketing (Bringing people through the door!!!) Here are a few ideas on how to market your pumpkin patch:

• Have a pumpkin carving contest.  Give out a trophy to the winner.  If you do this every year, and crown a king or queen, it will start to become a tradition in your community.  Make sure to invite the local press to the event so they can give you lots of free publicity.  Contests are always a big draw for any event.  It amazes me what some people will do for a small trophy.  Think about having a pumpkin throwing, and a pie eating contest also.
• Go to all of the local schools and churches and offer them all a discounted rate for a educational tour.  Schools are always looking for cheap field trips, and five bucks a pop is fairly reasonable, plus, they can bring you customers by the bus load who will then go home and tell their parents how much fun they had, and they will come do it all over again!!!
• Think about starting a community submitted recipe book  based solely on tastes of Autumn, sell it, and give the proceeds to a local charity.  This will help the community feel close to you and your business, and will give you a great tax write off come April 15th!
• Offer a safe haven for trick or treaters.  Get lots of candy, and invite the kids to come trick or treat on your farm.  Let’s face it, the world is getting scarier these days, and a lot of parents would love to bring their kids to one location that they knew was safe for their children.

Summary: Okay, so a pumpkin farm might not make you the next Bill Gates, but it can provide some great supplemental income, and help you offset a lot of your landowner taxes.  So….why not?

Resources:

• Starting and Running Your Own Small Farm Business: This is a great A to Z book by Sarah B. Aubrey.  This includes everything you need to know about running a profitable small farm, including great information about the pumpkin business.
• Agriculture.com:  Great information on current farming trends, and links to great articles on the topic.
• Just Google your state, and pumpkin growers association, and I am sure if pumpkins can grow in your state, you will find a association for it. (i.e. Google search: Ohio Pumpkin Growers Association)