East Bay Pumpkin Patches Planting Seed Of Fall

LOS GATOS, CA — Could this be the year of the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?

That's the prevailing question ABC Tree Farms has all but answered with its declaration on the first day of autumn that the pumpkin crop is unusually good this year.

The pumpkin purveyor that operates 19 patches in the San Francisco Bay Area gets their orange orbs from farms in Oregon and Washington where this year has seen less moisture, which often times makes them mature too fast like hot weather does. This is why the patch operators will get the pumpkins from the north — especially as the Bay Area experiences a heat advisory. Not good in pumpkin land.

Their temperamental nature would remind a grape grower of how a good Pinot Noir reacts to the ever-changing weather of the West Coast.

Even before October has started, ABC Tree Farms Manager Holly Prinz told Patch a third of the patches have already opened with many coming on board soon.

"The pumpkins look beautiful. It was a good planting season — all about the timing," Prinz said. "They like a happy medium."

San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner Fred Crowder agreed, calling it the "Goldilocks" syndrome.

"There's no reason for it to not be a good year," he said.

With an estimate of selling more than 100,000, Prinz has already secured 50 delivery orders. Some amount to more than 2,000 on one receipt.

The pumpkin patches may not have the mystique of Charles Schultz's animated Peanuts cartoon, but children's activities are added so families may make a day of it.

In the East Bay, three out of seven pumpkins patches are now open. A complete list of ABC Tree Farms pumpkin patches may be found on the company website.