"Authentic" pumpkin-picking in Georgia?

September 23, 2012 10:01 AM

I'm looking for a pumpkin and apple picking experience in Georgia that allows for me to actually pick a pumpkin off the vine. I want to take a hayride out to an actual pumpkin patch and/or apple trees, without the increasingly common pre-picked vegetables/fruits. I'm in Atlanta so the closer the better, but a 2 hour drive is totally acceptable for the right experience. Thanks!
posted by rbf1138 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

I'm sure that locals will weigh in with preferences, but it may be worth consulting Pick Your Own.
posted by MonkeyToes at 10:05 AM on September 23, 2012

Southern Belle Farms in McDonough, Ga. About a 35-40 minute ride down 75 south. Lots of fun this time of year. Hayrides, pumpkins, the whole deal.
posted by pearlybob at 12:24 PM on September 23, 2012

Even in places where you can usually pick pumpkins off the vine, in some years there are bad growing seasons for pumpkins - too much wet, for example, and farms are obliged to truck pumpkins in from elsewhere in order to have something to sell. Ask about this year's crop in the region you want to go.
posted by tomboko at 12:59 PM on September 23, 2012

When we lived in Woodstock there were a bunch of places to choose from in Cherokee County, mostly farther north out towards Canton.
posted by COD at 2:26 PM on September 23, 2012

Washington Farms
posted by runningwithscissors at 4:48 PM on September 23, 2012

I believe you can do that at Burt's Farm. This is going to be in the same 'hood as a lot of apple picking places -- we like Hillcrest, as it has a petting farm. I tried to find a photo of me with a taxidermied bear to really show you the charm of the place, but I can't dig it up right now. Just trust me.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:26 PM on September 23, 2012

I can heartily recommend Washington Farms in Watkinsville as an excellent day out. It seems to be everything you're looking for in terms of pumpkins, with the added bonus of a corn maze, petting zoo, pumpkin launcher, a corn cannon, and a whole lot more for children. Beware the pig races though, they scream a lot and it sounds very disturbing.
posted by Eumachia L F at 2:32 AM on September 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

The one time I was at a farm that had pumpkins "on the vine" the vines were all dead, so it was basically a randomized array of pumpkins among a big field full of scraggly dry vegetation, which may not correspond to the mental image you're wishing for.
posted by aimedwander at 8:11 AM on September 24, 2012

Yeah, I've never seen a place where you could *actually* pick pumpkins, probably because to "pick" a pumpkin you cut it off the vine (if you want the stem end, I know I do).
posted by mskyle at 10:20 AM on September 24, 2012

I agree with everyone who says that this is unlikely: many varieties of pumpkin are harvested when the vines are dry or drying; most pumpkin crops are cured to prolong storage life and ease of handling, so they are harvested and kept in a controlled environment for 10-20 days; and it's difficult to grow pumpkins in the south because the climate makes them very susceptible to foliar diseases, so crops can be easily wiped out. It's much easier to grow pumpkins under the best conditions possible and have them ready to harvest in time for curing, and then import them to a "pumpkin patch".
posted by oneirodynia at 1:08 PM on September 24, 2012