NJ Farm Gets Creative For Fall Tours After Summer Storm Leaves Them With Pumpkinless Patch

By Cleve Bryan

SEWELL, N.J., (CBS) -- A South Jersey farm had big plans to offer hayrides to their pumpkin patch this fall - however mother nature caused a detour.

It was a perfect, fall morning for Our Father's House pre-school to take a field trip to Zimmerman's Farm in Sewell.

First, a hayride with a special stop.

"At the pumpkin patch," said a child.

But as parents and kids arrive - it's not pumpkins they find but a witch's house. Trick or treat?

"Our whole pumpkin crop was pretty much devastated," said Robin Zimmerman of Zimmerman's Farm.

This is Zimmerman's actual pumpkin patch.

The powerful storm in June that snapped trees like twigs all over South Jersey killed Zimmerman's pumpkin crop.

"The rain was so torrential and downpour that the seeds were just packed into the soil so far that the sun couldn't reach them and they couldn't come out of the ground and come up," said Zimmerman.

Rutgers Agricultural Extension says just about every other pumpkin grower in Gloucester County has a strong crop this year.  Zimmerman's appears to be an isolated situation. Feeling bewitched, they were unsure about fall farm tours.

"You think hayride you think pumpkin patch, so it was a huge risk for me, I was scared and nervous," said Zimmerman.

Zimmerman's purchases their larger pumpkins from eastern Pennsylvania and they say they could have bought smaller ones for the hayrides, but it would have cost about $10,000 to $15,000. And it's a risky investment because they only have four or five big weekends for business and what happens if some of them get rained out?

"Then you're stuck with all these pumpkins that you put out all that money for and no income coming in," said Zimmerman.

Then came the idea for Hilda's House.

"My first attempt at building a witch's house, and it went pretty well," said Greg Bevan of Zimmerman's Farm.

While Zimmerman's has pumpkins for sale and orders them as needed for school groups, everyone now gets a witch's cauldron full of prizes, and there's a whole field of games.

"It's still nice, it's nice that they still do the hayrides for the kids," said parent Melissa Jones.

"They certainly stepped up their game," said another parent.

Who knew a pumpkinless patch could be so fun.