Pumpkin patches boosting farm businesses

Ashley Jones said there were "thousands" of pumpkins to pick at his farm

The owner of a pumpkin patch in Cornwall says the Halloween related attraction helps his family's farm business "to survive".

Ashley Jones' family owns Smeaton Farm at Pillaton near Saltash, where they have been running a pumpkin patch for about five years.

He said his farm had about "20 to 30,000 pumpkins" growing in its patch, as well as a scare-maze with actors.

"We're farming 700 acres, we're a big farm. This is a farm diversification just to basically bring more money in to the farm business to be able to survive," he said.

Mr Jones said the pumpkin related attractions were "very popular"

He said: "It's going very well, it's very popular. People really do enjoy it.

"We do a scare maze which is on the Saturday night of Halloween weekend."

Jinny Odgers owns Cargoll Farm at St Newlyn East and will be reopening her two-acre pumpkin patch for a second year.

Ms Odgers said the weather had been "perfect" for growing this year.

Ms Odgers said pumpkin patches were a way for children to "have some fresh air"

"They are very thirsty plants," she said.

"Some of them (pumpkins) were huge to be perfectly honest, we wasn't expecting them to grow that big."

Ms Odgers said the farm had a number of activities for families, including a pumpkin-themed noughts and crosses game.

"I love autumn, I love Halloween....and seeing the children's faces when they come to pick them," she said.

"It's a way for children to come out, have some fresh air, have some enjoyment of the countryside and to get excited for Halloween."