Where To Pick Pumpkins In Healdsburg This Fall

Seasonal & Holidays

Where To Pick Pumpkins In Healdsburg This Fall Whether you're carving a jack-o'-lantern or adding flair to your stoop, there are plenty of places around Healdsburg to pick up a pumpkin.

HEALDSBURG, CA — Heading to a patch or field to pick the best or most giant pumpkin isn't just about finding the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern. It's a chance to spend time with the family in a cherished fall tradition full of fun activities.

Many North Bay pumpkin patches and fields offer complementary activities for kids, such as hayrides, corn mazes, and games. Picking your pumpkin is also an excellent way to support the local farmers who grow it.

Whether you plan to carve a jack-o'-lantern or add some festive flair to your stoop, there are plenty of places to pick up a pumpkin near Healdsburg. Here are some of our favorites.

American Canyon —OCT. 5: Pool Pumpkin Patch & Splash . Registration underway.

American Canyon — umpkin Patch & Inflatable Zone . Lots of kids' fun at this one.

Dixon — THROUGH OCT. 31: Cool Patch Pumpkins & World-Record Corn Maze . This 63-acre corn maze was once in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Forestville — OCT. 12: Santa Rosa Junior College Shone Farm Fall Festival, U-Pick Pumpkins & Apples . With kids' zone, critters, hay bale rides & more.

Healdsburg — Oct. 5: Orsi Family Vineyards Annual Pumpkin Patch Event. Complimentary & Family-Friendly

Healdsburg — THROUGH OCT. 31: Grandma's Pumpkin Patch . Fenced-in pumpkin patch with room to run; farm animals; pyramid and climbing structure; vintage tractors; picnic tables under trees. No admission. Free parking.

Larkspur — THROUGH OCT. 31: Honor System Pumpkin Patch: Marin Country Mart . Stupendous selection for carving or eating. Guess the weight of the giant pumpkin outside The Trading Post for a prize.

Napa — THROUGH OCT. 31: Stanly Lane Pumpkin Patch .

Novato— THROUGH-OCT. 31: Grossi Family Farm Pumpkin Patch, Hay Maze & Kids' Fun. Pick from 17 varieties of pumpkins— right off the vine!

Petaluma — THROUGH OCT. 31: Mickelson Pumpkin Patch + Hay Pyramid, Grain Train, Apple Cannon, Maze, Jump Zone, Paint Ball Food. Lots of activities at this one.

Petaluma — OCT. 12, 19-20: 'Pumpkins On Pikes' Halloween Fun, Music & Straw Maze: Tara Firma Farms . Games and pumpkin carving, too.

Petaluma — THROUGH OCT. 31: Pronzini Farms Pumpkin Patch . Pumpkin picking plus haunted guided trail, Western Village, Cowgirl Cafe, pony rides. Live music and other special events for all ages throughout October. Food served by Sax's Joint (delicious cinnamon rolls?!).

Petaluma — THROUGH OCT. 31: Petaluma Pumpkin Patch, 'The Amazing Corn Maze' & More . A Sonoma County tradition for more than 30 years.

St. Helena — OCT. 26 & 27: Nimbus Arts Floating Pumpkin Community Exhibit at Farmstead ! Pick out a pumpkin, carve it, and then return it for inclusion in a community art installation.

St. Helena — OCT. 5-31:

Santa Rosa — THROUGH Nov. 2: Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch, Corn Maze & Kids' Fun (new location!). Treat the family to a day on the farm.

Santa Rosa — THROUGH OCT. 31: Punky's Pumpkins . Twenty acres of pumpkins and a wide variety of squash. Hay rides, train rides, giant slide, bounce houses, photo ops.

Santa Rosa — THROUGH OCT. 31: Muelrath Ranches Pumpkin Patch . Full range of products plus hay ride, haunted dungeon, pumpkin slingshot and pumpkin cannon.

Sebastopol — THROUGH OCT. 31: PaPa's Pumpkin Patch . During pumpkin season, come pick your own, right off the vine in the shadows of old-growth Redwoods.

Suisun City— OCT. 12-27 (weekends only): Pumpkin Patch Festival & Train Rides: Western Railway Museum . Tickets sell quickly, so don't delay.

If your pumpkin is destined for a starring role on Halloween night, here are some tips for carving a perfect jack-o'-lantern. Warren Nash, on YouTube, also shows a step-by-step process for making the perfect carve.

Keep in mind that carving and baking pumpkins aren't the same. The former is grown in fields to be large, more vibrant in color, and relatively hollow. The watery flesh doesn't have the same flavor as baking pumpkins, which tend to be smaller, have thicker, harder-to-carve walls and sweeter flesh. For those, you'll probably need to head to the grocery store.

Pumpkin carving kits will go a long way in getting what you need. They typically include saws, a scooper, a drill and multiple patterns.

If you're looking for the items individually around the house, here's what you could use:

Pumpkin. Unless you have a pumpkin-growing operation in the backyard, you'll need to pick out one you like from your local pumpkin patch or a store. Make sure it looks sturdy and clean. Remember, this pumpkin will be front and center on the porch for the Halloween season.

Curved boning knife or serrated knife from the kitchen

Ice cream scoop or scraper

Pencil or pen

Candle or battery-operated light

1. Cut it: If cutting from the top of the pumpkin, make sure to do it on an inward angle so the top won't drop inside the pumpkin when you put it back on. In a series of pumpkin carving tips from Good Housekeeping, Michael Natiello, creative director for The Great Jack-o'-Lantern Blaze, said it's better to cut the pumpkin from the bottom . That helps prevent the sides from caving in later.
2. Gut it: Use the ice cream scoop or your hands to remove all the seeds and other debris from inside the pumpkin. Do a thorough cleaning and make sure nothing sticks to the sides.
3. Trace it: Draw your design on a piece of paper before putting it on the pumpkin itself. This will make it easier to trace the design onto the pumpkin.
4. Make the cuts: Cut out the design. Natiello said to use a fork or pencil to poke holes around the lines. When cutting, get the big pumpkin pieces out first and clean up the edges later.
5. Light it: Light the pumpkin with a battery-operated light or candle in a holder, place the candle in the pumpkin, and admire your work.