Pumpkin picking, a somewhat American concept, has really taken off in the UK for Halloween, with patches and pick-your-own farms springing up all over the place. Summer is for berry picking and autumn is for pumpkins especially to create fresh Jack-o-Lanterns. Here are some PYO farms and pumpkin patches near London that are opening their gates to pumpkin pickers this year.
You will definitely need a car to get to most of them as they are quite rural and of course wellies.
1. Garsons Farm, Esher
Probably the most popular farm near London, Garson’s PYO gets booked out quite in advance. So you will have to be quick about it to find a spot during a weekend at this farm. I suggest booking in advance online.
The Farm Pass will give you free rein to pick what you’d like at Garsons Farm in Esher.
Tickets: £4 per person for entrance
Address: Garsons Farm at Winterdown Road, Esher, KT10 8LS
2. Covent Garden Pumpkin market, Central London
If you can’t make it to a pumpkin-picking farm but want to feel a bit more festive than a trip to Tesco’s, get down to Covent Garden’s Halloween Pumpkin Market, hosted in Apple Market. There will be pumpkins, squashes and gourds galore, as well as a stunning autumnal floral display designed and created by the Covent Garden Horticultural team. It is perfect to take pics and do some shopping 🙂
No tickets are needed.
3. Cammas Hall Farm, Hertfordshire
This is my favourite farm, they make a whole experience out of your visit. There are several festive displays to take pics with before you pick your favourite squash. Rumour has it, it will be bigger and better this year. With nighttime events, when all the monsters and creepy crawlies come out in the dark. Enter at your own risk 🙂
Tickets: £4-6 pp depending on the day
Address: Cammas Hall Farm at Needham Green, Hatfield, Broad Oak, CM22 7JT
4. Crockbridge farm, Surrey
The first pumpkin patch at this Surrey farm opened more than 15 years ago. You can buy superior specimens at its outdoor Pumpkin Market, which runs from mid-October until Halloween, or whenever its bountiful crop sells out. You’ll also find pre-harvested gourds at the farm’s Pumpkin Festival (Oct 15-16 and Oct 22-30), where you can get involved in pumpkin carving and other activities too. Or, to have your own Halloween squash from the ground, book a slot during one of the Pumpkin Picking Weekends in the first two weeks of October.
Tickets: Free entry
Address: Crockbridge farm in New Haw Rd, KT15 2BU
5. Foxes Farm, Basildon and Colchester, Essex
The second favourite farm because it is the second farm that I have visited 😛
Foxes Farm has two pumpkin patches in Essex, located close to Basildon and Colchester. They started out by growing them for wholesale, before deciding to let the public get in on the picking action. Ready-picked pumpkins are available, but if you want to select your own, you’ll need to book in advance.
Tickets: £3.75 – £5.00 depending on the day
Address:
- Foxes Farm, Green Lane, Aldham, Colchester, CO6 3PR, and
- Watch House Farm, Wash Road, Basildon, SS25 4ER
6. Four Winds Farm, Kent
Four Winds Farm’s Kent Pumpkin Field will be open for squash harvesting and spooky fun from Oct 22-28, including a scarecrow hunt, face-painting and tea and cakes. Advanced tickets cost £1 per vehicle and pumpkins can be purchased for between £2 and £10. Pickers are reminded to bring wellies and a strong bag for their spoils.
Needs to be booked well in advance as it gets booked out easily.
Tickets: £1 per vehicle, Pumpkins are for £2-£10 as per size
Address: Four winds Farm in Poundsbridge Hill, TN3 0RL. Oct 22-28
7. Secretts, Surrey
Come for the pumpkin picking, stay for the farm’s English wine collection and the biggest selection of craft beers in Surrey. This year, you can roam their pumpkin patch from October 23 – 30, but you’ll need to book your ticket in advance. They’ve been known to shift over 30,000 pumpkins in the space of a week, so expect it to be popular!
Tickets: Entry fee is £3 pp
Address: Secretts in Hurst Farm, Chapel Lane, Milford, GU8 5HU
8. Tulley’s Farm, West Sussex
Whilst sunflower picking is popular here in the summer, Tulley’s Farm really kicks things into high gear around Autumn. This October, you can tackle their horror mazes, theme park-style rides and carnival games, catch a circus of horrors live show, watch live music and, of course, pick up some of your own pumpkins.
Tickets: £5.00 to £8.00 pp
Address: Tulley’s Farm at Turners Hill, Crawley, RH10 4PE
9. Hatter’s Farm, Essex
Tens of thousands of pumpkins and squash are available to pick at family-run Hatter’s Farm, in over 50 different varieties including the brilliantly-named Snowman and Pink Banana. Located around a 30-minute drive from London, Hatter’s Farm is a family-friendly day out, with plenty of events to get stuck into around pumpkin season.
Tickets: Entry to the pumpkin patch is £1 per person, with pumpkins and squash costing £1-£12 depending on size
Address: Hatter’s Farm, Takeley, Bishop’s Stortford, CM22 6NP
10. Priory Farm, Surrey
Take a tractor ride out to Priory Farm’s pumpkin field on selected dates in October, and pluck your own gourd from the ground. Closer to Halloween, other events take place at the farm, including a spooky trail.
Tickets: £5 pp for PYO pumpkins and Tractor rides
Address: Priory Farm, Sandy Lane, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 4EJ
11. Stanhill Farm, Dartford
Run by brothers Toby and Max Williams, this 150-acre Kent farm grows 20 to 30 varieties of fruit and vegetables, including a huge patch of pumpkins in various shapes and sizes. Pick up individual specimens from £1, or grab a wheelbarrow and fill it with as many squashes as you can carry for a very reasonable £35. Just bear in mind that you’ll be living off pumpkin soup until at least Christmas.
Tickets: £3 per vehicle (1 vehicle of up to 7 people)
Address: Stanhill Farm in Birchwood Rd, DA2 7HD
Final Thoughts
As said above, make sure you wear your wellies as the farms most probably will be muddy and do book the tickets in advance because they tend to get booked out fairly quickly.
If you miss out on a farm expedition, head to some of the central London Halloween festive displays like Covent Garden and Ivy Chelsea Garden to have some pics and feel the festive cheer! Please do share which fields you visited and any festive cheer in the comments, I would love to hear from you.
Fall in London is beautiful and the city is bursting with colours, why not go to some of the famous fall spots in London?
Keep that pumpkin dream alive <3
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