Pumpkin Patch Tour: Pick Your Plant

With under two weeks left until Halloween, now is the perfect time to carve a pumpkin. Even if you get one and perform surgery on it today, the rot shouldn't set in until November arrives.

From Aptos to Capitola, there is a bundle of pumpkin patches from which to make your purchase. Capitola-Soquel Patch toured four of them this week. Check out the specs on each below, and browse through the photos to the right to take the virtual tour yourself. 

1. Capitola Produce Pumpkin Patch (700 Bay Ave., Capitola)
Plunked down in the grassy area outside , the Capitola Produce Pumpkin Patch has gourds galore stacked on hay bales with royal prestige. They've got all sizes, shapes and varieties on hand. Pumpkins range in price from 29¢ to 99¢ per pound. Considering most carving pumpkins weight about eight to 12 pounds, with the bigger pumpkins costing less per pound, that's about $5 per plant. 

2. The Great Pumpkin Patch (2831 Daubenbiss Ave., Soquel)
Soquel's Great Pumpkin Patch is celebrating its 45th year of operation in 2011. Having started in 1966, the patch is stocked with locally-grown pumpkins of a huge size range. Of all the pumpkin picking locales, this one is great for families with its kid-friendly decor. Pumpkins at The Great Pumpkin Patch are $5, $8 or $12, depending on size.

3. Pumpkin Joe's Organic Patch (Freedom Boulevard next to Aptos High School)
The stock is dwindling at Pumpkin Joe's, but what's left looks great. Located on the hillside of Freedom Boulevard next to Aptos High, the patch has small standard pumpkins as well as bigger, rare varieties. It was a tough season for Joe's organic pumpkins because of the late rains and gophers, Pumpkin Joe told Patch, but that didn't stop the crop from putting out some fantastic looking stock. The small pumpkins are three for $10, while the bigger ones are anywhere from $10 to $15. (Bonus tip from Pumpkin Joe: tomatoes thrive on stress, so hold off on watering them on hot days.)

4. La Roma Farms (Soquel Drive just off 41st Avenue across from Ocean Honda)
La Roma Farms is a haven for your standard orange carving pumpkin. If you're looking for the more unusual pumpkin varieties, this isn't the spot to stop. However, as it's located on Soquel Drive, where tons of families commute every day, if we're talking ease and location, La Roma could be your best bet. From tiny up to extra large, their pumpkins range from 50¢ to $20.