The Corn Maze Begins....

After weeks of rain, it was finally dry enough for Dave to start cutting the corn maze. We had hoped to use the GPS to cut in a specific design, but the height of the corn makes that hard to do. But, you never know, it still may work! However, Dave said he felt lost in the 5 acres of corn while he was cutting the paths, so it should be a challenging maze! I don't know how 5 acres wouldn't be challenging! Here is the path that leads to the maze. Cooper loved it!

Where Do You Put 10 Acres of Pumpkins?

Well, in these, of course. We had an unexpected free weekend, so we got after the to-do list for The Pumpkin Ranch. Actually, Dave got busy. After a full day in the truck, he brought home two trailer loads of these. Cooper, of course, thought it was very cool that he had to check them out right when he got up Sunday morning (thus the jammies). Once pumpkins are picked, they are put in these "totes" and hauled to the barn. Unless we want to carry 10 acres of pumpkins to the barn one by one, these are quite necessary!

Planting Begins

We were able to start planting today! Very exciting and a little challenging, as anything is the first time you do it. Cooper rode shot-gun in the tractor with Dave and Layla and I hand planted the giants and staked varieties. We are so excited to see little green vines start poking out of the ground!

The "Magic" Day

We have heard from several of our friends who are in the pumpkin business, that May 15th is the "magic" day for planting. Well, looking at my calendar, I realize that day is quickly approaching. A pumpkin patch seems like a simple enough business to set up, but as fall gets closer, our list seems to get longer! The next items on the list are, of course, plant the pumpkins, gourds and squash. Once they are in, we will work on getting the barn ready for retail business. This will include building a very large wall. Should be interesting......I'll keep you posted!

....and here we go

Dave is putting the first fertilizer on the ground tonight, the seed has all arrived and it appears that the dream of The Pumpkin Ranch is starting.

Since arriving in beautiful Madison County 7 years ago, Dave and I have dreamed of building a family business together. One that would incorporate all the things we love; this land, our family, the crispness of fall and having fun! So, after much thought, prayer, planning and advice from those much wiser than us, we look forward to opening The Pumpkin Ranch this fall just outside of Winterset, IA. It will probably be a bumpy ride as we figure all of this out, but we're up for the adventure. Stay tuned........