PYO Pumpkins at Hewitt’s Farm Orpington

It’s October. You know what that means – Halloween is just around the corner, so pumpkins are about to be everywhere! Last weekend happened to be a friend’s birthday, so my sister and I took her out to a local pick your own farm not too far away: Hewitt’s Farm.

Hewitts Farm is a family run business just outside of Orpington, which boasts 78 acres of land on which they grow a multitude of delicious fruit and veggies which are available for the public to pick throughout the year. The family have been working on the farm for over 45 years and the farm itself has been here for many, many more.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, my mother and I used to visit Hewitt’s Farm regularly to top up on fresh, local produce from the farm shop as we were trying to reduce our plastic waste. Hewitt’s Farm produce is sold loose with paper bags available which makes it a much greener way to buy fruit and veg.

Pick your own pumpkins opened on the 1st October, we visited on the 2nd so were among the first visitors to get the chance to pick our own pumpkins. There is no need to book and no entry fee, so we just turned up around midday – and yes, it was pouring with rain but that didn’t put us off! We read on Hewitt’s Farm’s Facebook page that it would be a good idea to bring strong bags to carry our pumpkins in so we came prepared!

We discovered that the pumpkin field was just opposite the farm shop and we took our time (despite getting drenched) to walk up and down the field looking for the perfect pumpkins. I found an impressive medium-large pumpkin and decided that it would be a good idea to grab one of the wheelbarrows which had been left by the field for transporting the pumpkins, as the one I had picked out was pretty hefty! Once we had all selected our pumpkins of various sizes, shapes and colours we wheeled back to the farm shop to browse the other goodies on offer.

The Farm also sells a wide range of fresh produce that is sourced either from the farm or other local farms in Kent and surrounding areas, as well as a variety of more exotic fruits coming from neighbouring countries.

I picked up a few bits and pieces for a curry I was going to be making later in the week, and my friend Karen did the same. Pumpkins are priced at 88p per kg and squashes range from 88p-£1.76per kg and I was pleasantly surprised to find that my large pumpkin, 2 smaller pumpkins and an edible squash came to just over a tenner. They accept both card and cash payments.

Hewitt’s has a large car park, free of charge for customers, which is handy if you go a little overboard with your purchases!

I recommend a visit to anyone looking for some Autumn-themed fun, or at any other time of the year when you’ll find an array of fresh produce available. Right now there are also plums, spinach, beetroot, beans, sweetcorn and eating apples. Check out the latest on their website.

Pick your own opening hours