As Halloween approaches, many will be heading to pumpkin picking sites to find the perfect pumpkin (or pumpkins) to put in their homes.
These pumpkin patches all across the UK also offer a picturesque scene for autumnal photographs. However, there’s a surprising truth behind this autumn trend that has left people shocked.
It appears that many of these pumpkin patches don’t actually grow their own pumpkins but buy them in, allowing visitors to have the experience of “picking” them.
This revelation came after one user on X (formerly Twitter) shared their discovery. “Pumpkin picking is the biggest scam going,” they wrote.
“Discovered last year it’s just a load of pumpkins from Aldi, chucked on a muddy field, for 10 times the price. Never again.”
The post caught the attention of other users who had made the same realisation. One person suggested renaming it “pumpkin picking-up”.
Another proposed a cheaper way to recreate the experience for children. “Just buy a load of Aldi ones, bang them in the garden when the kids go to bed, and tell them the Halloween goblin has grown them overnight,” they suggested.
However, this isn’t a new revelation, as last year other Halloween enthusiasts also noticed the trickery. “I did not realise the whole pumpkin picking phenomenon was coming to a field where people have placed pumpkins to pick them up,” another surprised X user said.
If you’ve just realised that the trend isn’t quite what it seems, you’re not alone. Many people admitted they were also in the dark.
“I too had assumed it to be more like strawberry picking,” one person confessed. “Oh, God. What a rip off! It seems so obvious now,” another wrote.
A third added: “It’s crazy! Not unlike going to a supermarket where people have placed large quantities of packaged food in a building.”
However, not all sites are guilty of buying in pumpkins and scattering them over fields for customers to pick – many do grow their own.
If you want an authentic experience, your best bet is visiting smaller, local farms and sites. You can also contact them before your visit to see if their pumpkins are grown on site.
