Hay Maze at Eastside Seasonal Farm

Hi Rob!

Hey John.
J:  I see your pumpkin field here at Eastside Seasonal Farm and Pumpkin Patch is coming along great.  And what's up with this hay maze? How many hay bales are in there?

R:  About 140  

J:  How did you come by the hay bales?

R:  Andy a local hay farmer provided them.

J:  That's cool.  Everybody should buy their hay from Andy...  How did you figure out the design

R: Winged it. 

J:  Huh.  It turned out good.  What are some of the construction techniques you used to build the maze?

R:  We loaded them on a trailer and hand stacked them one at a time. In order to bridge across the front entrance we placed a couple of boards across and placed the bails on top. 

J:  Are you going to charge for the hay maze?

R:  $2 for children and parents are free.

J:  How excited is your family about the pumpkin patch business?

R: We are getting excited seeing the pumpkins beginning to turn color and mature to a nice variety of sizes including many large pumpkins.

J:  What are the different kinds of pumpkins you planted?

R: We have Jack Be Little decorating pumpkins, Big Max Pumpkins which are a medium to large pumpkin, Jaradails which are a purple warted pumpkin, and an abundance of Connecticut Field pumpkins which are your typical jack o lantern variety. 

J:  Are there any special techniques that you used to plant the pumpkins?

R:  The pumpkins were started from seed in 6 pack containers.  After 2-3 weeks they were transferred and planted in the field which had been prepared by disking and tilling. We are using drip system irrigation for watering regularly. In order to produce large and healthy looking pumpkins we fertilize monthly by using an in line injector on the drip irrigation system. The greatest challenges of growing a pumpkin patch is maintenance and the challenges that come from pests and weed control, but when it's all said and done it's worth it when you have an abundance of large round healthy orange pumpkins. 

J:  Did you stagger the planting on purpose?

R:  Yes we staggered them in order to allow the vines to have more room to spread out.

J:  When will your pumpkins be ready?

R:  They should be ready by the 1st of week of September. 

J:  How big will they be?

R:  Waiting to see for sure, but there are quite a few exceeding 2 feet in diameter.

J:  Can you eat them?

R:  Even though we didn't go completely organic on everything ie bug control, we did not use any weed preventative sprays or use any super growth fertilizer containing harmful steroids. The dosages of both bug spray and fertilizer have been kept to a minimum and in light dosages. The pumpkins are completely edible and the Jaradails are a great baking pumpkin. 

J:  What are your plans for groups?

R:  Email or call and make an appointment or just show up during business hours.

J:  Well that's awesome!  Thanks for letting us know how things are going.

R: No problem!  I hope you see everybody in October!