Pumpkins
From Field to Front Porch


Wisconsin Grown Pumpkins

In 2020, Alsum Farms begins growing pumpkins in Grand Marsh, Wis., to diversify our farm operations. This season, 300 acres of pumpkins will be planted to be ready to harvest and ship at the end of August through late October. Alsum Farms & Produce offers quality pumpkins for fall decorating to beautify outdoor living spaces.

Pumpkin season starts the fall before by seeding a good set of rye.

tilling pumpkin field
Number One

First Strip Tilling

First strip tilling occurs early the next spring to establish a good seed bed which allows for living cover between the rows until planting. They rye cover crop helps prevent wind erosion and promotes soil health.

tilling pumpkin fields
Number Two

Second Strip Tilling

Second strip tilling is done to continue to nurture the good seed bed to prevent the rye from growing back into it.

rye field
Number Three

Stage the Rye

We scout and determine if the rye is flowering and if not, when will it be. We plant the rye with Vetch. The vetch helps “hold” down the rye after crimping and improves soil health to have more diverse plants in the field, especially a different class of plant (grass vs legume) creates healthier soil.

green tractor
Number Four

Roller Crimping

When the rye is flowering, we can roller crimp the rye down.

strip tilling
Number Five

Final Strip Tilling

The final strip-tilling occurs immediately after roller crimping and just before planting for a perfect seed bed for pumpkins.

colorful pumpkin seeds
Number Six

Seed Selection

Seed selection occurs 6 months prior to planting. After running trials the previous year and analyzing our harvest data we carefully chose which seeds that will yield the best pumpkins.

emerging pumpkin seed
Number Seven

Planting

We plant at 2200-2800 seeds per acre. For reference, corn is planted around 40,000 seeds per acre.

bee on pumpkin flower
Number Eight

Flowering

When flowers start occurring by early July we bring in our bees for pollinating.There are male and female flowers for pumpkins which is why bees are needed to bring the pollen from the male flower (growing straight up in the air) to the female flower (growing along the vines on the ground).

Bee hives at Alsum Farms

We also use bumblebees which pollinate differently than honey bees. Typically, honey bees visit a couple flowers before returning to the hive, bumblebees will visit many flowers as they can hold more pollen on their bodies for more effective pollination.

Alsum Pumpkin Farm Field of growing pumpkins
Number Nine

Pumpkins Emerge

Pumpkins are scouted weekly or more to ensure a healthy, vibrant crop.

Alsum Pumpkin Farm Field
Number 10

Harvesting

Pumpkins can grow to a mature size in as little as 3 weeks. As temperatures cool, the pumpkin leaves die down. It is time to cut all the stems and then windrow them. Windrowing pumpkins allows us to pick up pumpkins efficiently and not damage any. Our crew hand harvests the pumpkins and places them in wagons to be brought to the pack shed.

25 ct pumpkin bin
Number Eleven

The Final Journey

Pumpkins are washed, graded and packed by hand into bins by size based on customer specifications. Each pumpkin has a PLU sticker.

Let Alsum be your go-to for beautiful pumpkins to elevate your produce department offerings.

Fall Harvest