Pay a visit to Gwent's only pumpkin patch this Hallowe’en

HALLOWE’EN. It’s a time of the year that is celebrated all over the world. We dress our houses with spooky decorations and carve pumpkins.

A big tradition in America is visiting a pumpkin patch and picking your own to carve or cook.

In the past five years, pumpkin patches have gradually moved over to the UK and have become more popular.

However, carving a pumpkin into a Jack ‘O Lantern for Hallowe’en was first brought over to America by the Irish - but the Irish did not have pumpkins - so they used potatoes, turnips, beetroots and gourds.

The idea of carving these vegetables was to ward off evil spirits.

In the 1800s, Irish immigrants came to America and discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out, so decided to use those to carve out instead.

If you want to make a Jack ‘O Lantern, the main place you might be thinking where to pick one up from is a supermarket.

But hold on, why not try pumpkin picking at a pumpkin patch?

Pumpkin picking gives families the chance to have a nice day out, walk amongst the crunchy colour changing leaves and get the chance to try different types of pumpkins.

A lot of farms have started opening their own pumpkin patches, so that as well as being able to browse and pick their own, families can go and visit the animals.

So, where can you go in Gwent to pick your own pumpkins? Hidden away in Caerphilly County Borough is Pencoed Fach Organic Farm, Cefn Fforest.

This is the second year the farm has ran a pumpkin patch, where there are thousands of pumpkins to choose from and more than 10 varieties.

David Davies, who is a fifth-generation farmer at Pencoed Fach, said last year’s patch drew thousands of visitors to the farm.

“It was really successful last year,” he said.

“I think it’s the experience of bringing people to the farm that gets people to come. A lot of people don’t get to go to farms much so it’s a new experience, especially for kids.

“It’s being able to see the animals. The kids absolutely love it and they love wandering round the field looking at all the different pumpkins.

“It’s a great family day out and when you get them directly from a grower like us you know where they come from. It’s much more than just popping to the supermarket and chucking one in your trolley.”

The farm, which David’s family have owned for more than 100 years, also has cattle, sheep and chickens.

This year, two piglets have been brought in for visitors to see when they come pumpkin picking.

On Hallowe’en (October 31), families will be able to come along, pick a pumpkin and carve them with the Buttercup Flower Studio. – who

The carving is for charity and all money from that will go towards the Motor Neurone Disease Association charity.

“We lost my dad a few years ago to Motor Neurone Disease so it’s something that’s very important to us,” said David.

“The ladies from the Buttercup Flower Studio are very creative and it also means that the children get to leave the mess from carving with us.”

“Last year we raised nearly £700 from the carving event,” added David’s mum Wendy.

“We did it for two days last year and we are only doing it for one year this year.”

David, his mum Wendy and the rest of the family have to work hard to prepare the pumpkin patch, planting the seeds in May and making sure they are well-cared for – which David says has been a big thing during the hot weather this year.

Pencoed Fach Farm has been organic for 17 years and there are no pesticides used on the farm.

“They are grown from organic seeds and the fact they are organic seems to be a big hit with the public,” said David.

“We weren’t always organic, we used to be a dairy farm, but that didn’t seem to be working so we turned organic and it’s been great since then.

“As a farm you have to keep changing all the time. A lot of it now is people do want to go out for the day with the kids, so we’re doing that with the pumpkins.

“We had a few thousand come last year and on good days we have 400 to 500 people. The cars were just non-stop.”

For days when the weather is bad and families don’t feel like exploring the pumpkin patch, there’s a covered area with a pumpkin display and stands. Pumpkin range from small ones at £1 to humongous ones at around £10.

So if you’re looking to get the perfect pumpkin, and want to know where it’s come from, Pencoed Fach Organic Farm is the place for you.

The farm’s pumpkin patch opens this Monday (October 15) from 9am to 6pm and is open every day until its last event, and pumpkin carving, on Hallowe’en (October 31).

Visit www.facebook.com/PencoedFachFarm for more information on the farm and the pumpkin patch.