Pumpkin Sales Begin!

Cal Poly Pomona pumpkins are now available for online pre-order!

The university has canceled its annual Pumpkin Festival, pumpkin patch, and all related activities in October due to the Coronavirus, but it still has pumpkins for sale – they just won’t be in the field.

Customers can purchase pumpkins this month through the Pumpkin Festival website for curbside pickup or they can buy them at the Cal Poly Pomona Farm Store starting Oct. 1.

“We have many people who have loyally supported us over the years, and we want to continue to provide them with Cal Poly Pomona-grown pumpkins,” AGRIscapes Outreach Director Craig Walters said. “The proceeds from our pumpkin sales also help benefit our students, who were involved in growing them.”

Other fall items will also be available either online or at the Farm Store, including corn stalks, gourds, spaghetti squash, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, Halloween snacks and goodies, hay bales, and Cal Poly Pomona-grown produce.

“We have all of the stuff to make your Halloween look fantastic,” Farm Store Manager Dawn Taccone said.

Due to the pandemic, AGRIscapes won’t be offering any of the usual fall activities this year. There won’t be a corn maze, hayrides or a petting farm. Likewise, there won’t be any booths, displays or backdrops for photos. Picnic and seating areas have also been eliminated as a safety precaution.

Customer capacity in the Farm Store is limited because of public health guidelines, which may require waiting in lines. The Farm Store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Customers are encouraged to visit during the weekdays as the weekends are expected to be busier.  

“We’re taking all these measures out of an abundance of caution and to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus,” Walters said. “We hope the public understands. Hopefully, we’ll be able to resume the Pumpkin Festival next year.”

The pumpkins available online were grown on Cal Poly Pomona’s very own Spadra Farm, and they can also be purchased in bulk quantities.

For more information on the online pumpkin sales, visit the Pumpkin Festival website at https://pumpkinfestival.cpp.edu.   

For information on the Cal Poly Pomona Farm Store, visit the store’s website at https://www.cpp.edu/~farmstore/.