Local grower enjoys the craft of raising pumpkins

Tom Crum holds up pumpkins from his patch at Inder Singh Farms at the corner of Eight Mile and Lower Sacramento roads on Wednesday afternoon in Lodi. (Angelina Gervasi/News-Sentinel)

Local grower enjoys the craft of raising pumpkins

By Pam Bauserman
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Monday, October 22, 2007 6:31 AM PDT

Comments (1 comment(s))

Tom Crum has worked for the Port of Stockton for 23 years. In addition to his day job, he has partnered with Inder Singh, who owns and operates the A Maze n Patch pumpkin patch on the corner of Lower Sacramento Road and Eight Mile Road.

Crum, who has served as business manager for the patch for two years, feels the property is ideal for a corn maze and pumpkin patch. He says working there brings the two of them a lot of joy.

"We get a kick out of running this thing and watching people come out," he said.

What is the best thing about growing pumpkins?

To me, the best is the beautiful flower that opens in the morning and around noon it closes up. The flowers are male and female. With most males, on the back of the flower, the pumpkin will grow.

How can you tell if it is a male or female?

The male has an extra stem in there.

How do you grow the biggest pumpkin?

We buy seeds like any other farmer does. There are 10 different types of pumpkin seeds offered. We go to Lockeford Seed and tell him we want a crop. We even bought corn seeds there too. We have planted seven acres.

What kind grows well in this area?

White grows good, although we didn't plant the white.

Tom Crum at a glance

Raised: Michigan and Texas.
Education: Graduated from the University of Detroit with accounting degree.
Family: One daughter.
Job: Employee of Port of Stockton for 23 years and is the business manager at A Maze n Patch for two years.

What are the different types of pumpkins?

There is in excess of 30 different kinds of pumpkins. The names of the six most popular are Howden, Jack-O-Lantern, Jack Pot, Atlantic Giant, Big Max and Connecticut Fields.

How long have you been growing pumpkins?

We started this in 2002 and then stopped for two years, in 2005 and 2006.

How do you harvest pumpkins?

There's no machine. We just go through with a knife or sometimes use pruning shears. We've cut them so they're easy for people to pick up.

What is the biggest pumpkin you have grown?

We had maybe a 40- or 50-pounder. This year we didn't have them that big. This year was probably about 25 pounds.

How do you pick out a good pumpkin?

If it has a good shape and overall nice roundness and deep orange color.

Do you sell more for jack-o-lanterns or for pumpkin pie?

People will say both. A lot of them say they're buying for pumpkin pie.

Reader Feedback

dogbark wrote on Oct 22, 2007 9:42 PM:

" Halloween magic trick. Take your pumpkin in both arms, swing it to and fro, to and fro, then toss it up as high as you can and step back. It might have started up as a pumpkin, but it will come back down squash. "

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