Papa Jim’s Farm: The Pumpkin Harvest!
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By Emily Bontrager
Each year children love to pick out their favorite pumpkins and turn them into jack-o’- lanterns. Decorative pumpkins line porches and yards in the fall to show off the beautiful varieties that are harvested. Pumpkins can also be used for tasty treats like pumpkin pie, bread, cookies, pumpkin seeds, and other delicious recipes.
One local grower has used his green thumb for many years to bring these fall classics to life. Jim Campbell and his family enjoy harvesting pumpkins each year on his farm.
Jim has farmed most of his life, so he has had a deep love for growing things for a long time. In 1962, he married Georgia “Kay” and they have four daughters, so that love of growing crops has spread to their families as well.
The Campbell family not only grows pumpkins, but Jim has grown watermelons as long as he can remember and now at the age of 82, he has kept the family tradition going, adding pumpkins along the way.
Growing pumpkins on the farm was first suggested by Jim’s son-in-law, Jeff Bash.
“He retired from farming when he was 70 and then he started growing more watermelons and I encouraged him to add pumpkins,” Jeff explained.
It’s kind of a Campbell tradition to grow watermelons. He’s in charge of the watermelons and I’m really in charge of the pumpkins and we help each other.”
The pumpkins and watermelons are grown on Papa Jim’s Farm, with the pumpkins growing on five acres and the watermelons on two acres. Jim usually sells his watermelons around August and typically, the pumpkins are up for sale around September 15.
There are around 30 different varieties of pumpkins that are grown by Jim and Jeff. Each pumpkin can cost from $1.00 to $8.00 depending on the size.
“There are so many different kinds and colors. We have a pretty good variety,” Jim said.
Each year, the pumpkin patch grows around 5,000 pumpkins, which takes a lot of hard work and dedication. According to Jeff, pumpkins change from a seed to a pumpkin in about 100 days and he and Jim love to see the pumpkins grow.
“They are beautiful. When the patch is green, it is just a green carpet of vines,” Jeff said.
Each pumpkin is picked by either family members or a few high school kids that Jeff has hired.
One of Jim’s favorite things about having pumpkins is seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces when they come to pick out pumpkins.
“It’s fun to see the kids get out of the cars and see so many different kinds,” Jim said.
Just recently, Jeff had a memory pop up on Facebook about a family and their children stopping to get pumpkins. He recalled the boys taking their time choosing their own pumpkins.
“I was just getting ready to go up and get a load of pumpkins and I said, ‘Who wants to pick a load of pumpkins?’ and the boys said, ‘I do!’” Jeff said.
The boys helped Jeff fill up the trailer and he told them they could pick out their own pumpkin.
“It took them longer to pick out a pumpkin than it did to load up the trailer,” Jeff said.
“That’s what is different about watermelons, people will stop, and they will say, ‘Pick me out two good ones or pick me out three good ones,’ and then they will be gone. With pumpkins, they will be down there for half an hour to 45 minutes or longer.”
Jim and Jeff love growing pumpkins and have even donated pumpkins to classes at the school and to the local nursing home for residents to decorate. When they go to the schools, Jim and Jeff talk about how pumpkins grow and about the kinds of pumpkins you can grow.
Jim and Jeff plan to continue growing pumpkins and watermelons as long as they can to keep the family tradition alive.
“It is something we like to do together, and it is hard work too,” Jeff said.
“It is a lot of fun,” Jim added.
Papa Jim’s Farm would like to thank their customers for supporting the pumpkin stand over the years. Don’t miss out on this year’s pumpkins! Stop in and create a family tradition with your own families and pick out some pumpkins at the self-serve pumpkin stand. The stand is located about six miles south of Wayland, Missouri along Highway 61. Papa Jim’s Farm’s last day for the year will be on Thursday, October 19!
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