In my travels today...

[J Hamilton]

On my way back from a job today passing through a large Amish community, I passed several large fields that I couldn't figure out what it was at first. Pumpkins! Millions of pumpkins! I have never seen so many large fields of pumpkins before. Now for tractor related content. Are pumpkins harvested by hand picking only or is there some kind of machine that can harvest/pick/gather pumpkins? Being this was an Amish area, these are most likely done by hand.

 

[Dingo3]

I dont know how they are harvested but keep an eye out for Linus and the great pumpkin.

 

[DPittman]

My wife needs a couple to bake me some pies!

 

[TimV]

Can't speak for all places, but I know a gent who grows enough to supply a number of major chains and they pick their decoration pumpkins by hand, but the pie pumpkins are done with machinery, and in fact are bred to be heavier-skinned to help with mechanical harvesting.

 

[55 50 Ron]

Is this large Amish community in Illinois?

 

[J Hamilton]

Yes it is

 

[Mark Poss]

Arthur Illinois?

 

[J Hamilton]

A little farther south. Opdyke/Belle-Rive area in Jefferson county

 

[Tgrasher]

They will be harvested by the whole family with friends helping out. Barefoot kids will pick up the smaller ones while a team of horse pull a straw bedded wooden wagon through the field. There are paths every so many feet the horse drawn sprayer made through the growing season. The spray is sugar based, doesn't hurt pollinators, but kills the bad bugs who can't digest the sugar. Undoubtedly, they will end up being truck hauled to a large town to supply the market. I've been to a large Amish auction in this area and will never forget the wonderful sights of the families, the food, but mostly barefoot kids. Once I ran around the same way.

 

[danofarming]

Sugar Based Spray? What is the Name of it?

 

[VicS]

I live just East of there. Frys contract for the pumpkin's. They are going to Walmart. They just take the middle sized ones. Place pallet sized boxes in the field. Pick them by hand and then put the boxes on old school buses. That have the sides cut off. Leaving the front roof and the back. They have go and no go calipers made from plywood. Sometimes they seem to leave as many as they take.

 

[RedMF40]

That's interesting, I'd like to see all those pumpkins. They have some fields planted around here in Maryland but nothing on that scale.
Gerrit

 

[Tgrasher]

Syntose FA, it works because bugs don't have a pancreas.