Funding for this series is made possible by the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
On six acres of farmland near Eagle, Pearson’s Pumpkin Place grows roughly 40,000 pumpkins each year, with 43 varieties ranging in size, shape and color.
It’s a different kind of crop production for a Nebraska farm that spent decades raising cattle. And while pumpkins are most closely associated with fall, producing them takes months of planning, fieldwork and managing the same unpredictable weather that challenges other Nebraska crops.
For Alex Pearson’s operation, planting begins the first week of June. Depending on the variety, pumpkins take between 75 and 115 days to mature, with most ready by late August or early September.
Getting them to that point isn’t always easy.
“Oh man, lots of challenges… Mother Nature, you know, it can be really dry. This year was too wet. We got rain too late. Had to deal with a lot of fungus issues,” Pearson said.
The wet growing season increased disease pressure, requiring fungicide treatments. Cucumber beetles are another problem. Pearson said the farm tries to minimize pesticide use, but some applications are necessary to protect production.
The land has been in Pearson’s family since 1947. His grandfather raised cattle there for 60 years before he passed away in 2010. The family later began looking at other uses for the property, eventually settling on pumpkins with the goal of providing a fun place for families to make memories and build traditions.
Pearson drew inspiration from childhood birthday celebrations at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard near Omaha.
Now five years into the operation, Pearson’s Pumpkin Place combines specialty-crop production with agritourism. Visitors come for pumpkins, but also for a five-acre corn maze, fishing, paintball and other activities.
That creates another source of revenue for the farm, although the season lasts just six or seven weeks.
The work doesn’t stop when visitors leave.
“I get that asked that question all the time. What do I do outside of these six weeks? Well, it’s building all these things. So things people don’t see is infrastructure, whether it’s electrical, plumbing, just our structures alone,” Pearson said.
Pearson, his parents and one other worker handle the year-round workload. During the fall season, staffing climbs to 43 employees.
Pearson said finding seasonal workers and keeping up with maintenance are ongoing challenges. The family is considering adding activities outside the fall season, potentially around Christmas.
For now, the pumpkins are the main draw, and Pearson hopes the farm gives families a reason to return each year.
“I just want people to build traditions out here in nature, have smiling kids, go home happy,” Pearson said.