Davis Farm is Last Farm in Ronkonkoma

George Davis is very involved in his Ronkonkoma neighborhood, going from one community meeting to another to try to preserve what he calls the quality of life in the town.  

As a third generation Rokonkoman, Davis carries on his family's love of farming.  The Davis Farm is now the last farm in Ronkonkoma and it began with his grandfather George Davis whose name and land he inherited. His grandfather purchased three acres in 1927.  At the time there was an enormous amount of open land around the Davis parcel and his grandfather planted on his lot and the land surrounding his property. 

Davis never met his grandfather but knows all the stories from his father.  

"He really loved this farm and loved farming," said Davis.  

He says his grandfather grew just about everything and used his crop for his family and sold the rest for income. When his Dad Lewis took over the farm, it became more of a hobby and he grew vegetables just for the family's consumption – corn, tomatoes, eggplant and some pumpkins.

Davis, like his father, says farming is a hobby for him. 

"You can't make your living off this, I just do pumpkins and corn," he said.  His pumpkins have gained some notoriety over the years with many of them getting close to the 200 pound mark.

"The corn is pretty much for me and my friends," he explained. 

Davis doesn't sell his behemoth pumpkins but uses them for charity. 

"There are several organizations that I donate to – they have contests to raise money like guess the weight of the pumpkin," explained Davis.  

Like most farmers Davis had a hard time keeping the property irrigated. 

"I kept the sprinklers running 24/7," he said.   

Sometimes he starts the plants in April in a greenhouse he built on the property.   Last year the greenhouse sustained some considerable damage due to rains that built up on the roof.  He said he has to rebuild it and possibly get a cooling system. 

"The temperatures went to 120 degrees when it was 60 degrees outside – I never built one on this scale and I have to find a way to tone it down," he said.

When Davis doesn't utilize the greenhouse, he plants when most other Long Islanders plant their gardens, after Mother's Day.  By day Davis works for the Town of Brookhaven and is married with two children. Developers are constantly trying to buy up his property to build but Davis says he's not going anywhere. 

"I still love Ronkonkoma – my family has been here since the 1700's." 

Patch visited the Davis farm and there are several pumpkins headed on their way to the 100-200 pound mark. 

"I'd love to break the world's record but I'm not even close, it's like 1,878 pounds, I've had cars smaller than that thing," exclaimed Davis.  

You can see some of Davis' giant pumpkins from the street outside his Carroll Avenue farm.