We hear it a lot during the pumpkin patch season, and it seems whenever we run into folks  from November through August, it’s our most frequently asked question. It’s also one we enjoy answering.

When do you start planning for next season?

The short answer is that we never really stop planning for the next season…and the season after that. Mrs. P has a running list of things that didn’t work and need improvements; things that were true winners and we might need to replicate for the next year; and creative new ideas worth consideration.

During the ‘off season,’ a few of Papa’s family members get together most every Saturday morning for coffee or tea, and hardly a Saturday goes by when we don’t ponder some aspect of the pumpkin patch season and consider, “What if…”. For example, one Saturday this past winter the question was, “What if we bought a couple of donkeys and put them in with the horses so there was more variety for visitors? And wouldn’t they be just cute and sound so fun?” (FYI: at this point, we haven’t added any donkeys to Papa’s barnyard.)

If you were to ask the question now: “Papa, when do you start planning for the pumpkin patch?” we’d likely tell you today. You see, on this Saturday morning, our meeting ran almost four hours! We had an official agenda and we agreed we wouldn’t leave until we made some decisions. Maybe it was the cooler mornings we’ve had lately; maybe it was the calendar turning over to August; it might just have been the almost innate excitement that has started to build for each of us.

It’s true. As a family, we think about Papa’s Pumpkin Patch year round. We can’t go into a store without noticing every orange or fall-colored item and taking a second look. And about this time every year, we kick it into high gear because we’re anxious to decorate the yards and celebrate the fall season…with you!

Take good care,

Papa