A pumpkin farm in Hertfordshire is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a month-long festival and a secret prize for its 250,000th visitor.
The Pop Up Farm near Harpenden will host the Pumpkin and Squash Festival throughout October, including pumpkin picking, traditional games and seasonal food and drink.
Farm owner and founder Ian Pigott said: “Our focus really is on autumn.
“Trying to get people away from their screens and doing stuff that they can do across generations.”
Credit: The Pop Up Farm
Ian opened the site with his Canadian wife Gillian in 2017. It was a trip to Canada two years earlier that inspired the couple to recreate the North American pumpkin-farm experience in England.
The Pigotts have an extensive family history of farming they say they can trace back 600 years, with Ian being the fourth generation to own a farm in Hertfordshire.
Credit: The Pop Up Farm
The farm grows wheat and oats for local markets, as well as biodiversity crops for habitat and nature restoration.
The family also run The Farm School, an education charity that brings young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to the farm, including school pupils with special educational needs.
The couple founded The Pop Up Farm to combine their farming knowledge with their experience of working with young people and create a community-focused business.
Ian said: “It was about trying to excite people with the concept of coming to a farm, picking a pumpkin, and making it a family tradition.”
Credit: Ian Pigott
The farm’s seasonal activities also provide an additional source of income for the family, while helping visitors connect with farming and the countryside.
He said: “There’s a lot of farmers that are really struggling, and the pumpkin space reflects that. Farmers are trying anything they can to bring a little bit of extra money into the business.”
Credit: The Pop Up Farm
He said the business would continue to develop while remaining part of the local community.
“We’ll continue as a business and a family to be part of the community in a different way than we have been over previous centuries.
“It is a really challenging business, but I’m blessed to have an incredibly supportive wife and amazing team.”
The Pumpkin and Squash Festival 2026 will run from 3-31 October at The Pop Up Farm near Harpenden.
Featured image credit: Andy Couldridge
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