Pumpkin fruit is a unique fruit that has several uses. While some people use it as a main ingredient in the preparation of foods like pumpkin pie, others use it for decoration during the Halloween season. You can start a pumpkin farm and make some good money during the Halloween period as well. You can also consider planting the seed during the late fall season and it is ready to be harvested around the winter, which is from October.
As long as you have knowledge about growing pumpkins, you can easily manage a pumpkin farm. No special qualifications are required for this line of business, so anyone can start the business. You plant your pumpkins and they are ready for harvest within 3 months.
Only a few companies can bring you a profit within the first three months of starting the business, so if you are looking for an investment that will bring you a quick profit, you may want to consider a pumpkin farm.
The pumpkin plant is a seasonal business, the demand comes only during the Halloween period, but with a good advertisement you are sure to sell all of your pumpkin fruits within the Halloween period due to the high demand for the fruit in the season. Therefore, you may be wondering how to start your own pumpkin farm; here are steps to guide you through;
Starting a Pumpkin Farm – Sample Business Plan Template
1. Study on the cultivation of pumpkins
If this is the first time you are starting this business, you need to have extensive knowledge of how to grow pumpkins. You need to know the process of preparing the soil for planting, the best time to start planting, the steps to care for the pumpkin fruit until it is ripe, and how to know the best time to harvest.
There are free eBooks and Write-ups on the Internet to provide you with this information. Also, you can find a pumpkin farmer and ask some basic questions about what to expect on your first time starting a pumpkin farm.
2. Develop a Business Plan
Just because running a pumpkin farm is a simple business doesn’t mean you won’t develop a business plan for it; you need to develop a plan for how you want your farm to look and how much you expect to earn at the end of the harvest after deducting your expenses.
You also need to cover the amount you need as seed money, where your pumpkin farm will be located, how much will be needed to care for the pumpkin until it matures and how large your farm will be. This will serve as a roadmap to help you achieve your business goals.
3. Get a License
You need to visit the county town and apply for a business license to run your pumpkin farm. You may also need to apply for a permit from the Department of Agriculture in order to sell fresh produce, as licenses are free and easy to obtain.
4. Leasing Land
If you do not have personal land that will serve as your farm, you will need to lease a piece of land to serve as your farm. The size of the land will depend on the size of the pumpkins you want to plant.
But, just keep in mind that there should be a space of 6 to 12 feet between the pumpkin mold, and each mold is expected to contain at least 5 pumpkins. Just this basic calculation and multiply it by the number of seeds you want to plant to find out the size of the land you need to lease.
Pumpkin plants do not work well when the weather is cold, they are usually sensitive to a lot of cold; that is why they are planted during the month of July when the weather is usually hot. Therefore, the climate in the location of the soil should not be generally cold. The best temperature to grow pumpkins is between 50F and 95F
5. Buy your farm equipment
If this is the first time you start this business, you will have to buy your farm implements. Be sure to check with those already in the business line to find out what types of equipment will be purchased to make the job easier for you.
6. Seed Source
The next step is to look for seeds. Remember that the quality of your harvest, among other factors, will depend on the quality of the seed you have planted. The best place to get healthy seeds are stores that sell dried fruits, and also from a pumpkin farmer who has seeds for sale.
The amount of seeds you buy all depends on the number you plan to harvest. Keep in mind that there are many varieties of pumpkins and each one has a different procedure to care for them until harvest. After the seeds are ready, it is time to prepare your mold and plant the seeds.
7. Employers Workers
Unless you are growing a smaller farm and are ready to do the job yourself, you may need to employ hands that will help you care for the pumpkin plant from germination to maturity. Workers will take care of the weeding, mulching and watering process. You may need to spray insecticides several times during the early stage of the plant to avoid pest attacks.
8. Harvest and sales
From the third month, the pumpkin fruit is generally ready for harvest. A good way to tell if the pumpkin is ready for harvest is if the body turns an orange color throughout the body, then it is likely that by the time you are ready for harvest the Halloween party is underway. The best way to sell the fruit is to sell it in bulk to fresh fruit store owners, or to wholesalers who buy in large quantities. You can still sell to individuals who come to your farm to buy.
What should you do now that you are armed with the above information? It’s time to start your pumpkin farm. Be sure to follow these tips religiously and also look for ways to improve what you do. When you adhere to these rules then you can be sure that very soon you will be smiling at the bank.