Pumpkin Patch Benefits Local Schools

Watsonville real estate agent-turned-pumpkin farmer Jimmy Dutra is running a contest at his East Lake Avenue pumpkin patch to benefit local teachers.

The "which class buys the most pumpkins" challenge is just one of the fun ways he's enticing kids, parents and Halloween lovers in general to his seasonal pumpkin stand.

"Teachers, they need to be appreciated a little more," said Dutra.

He's working with Pajaro Valley Unified School District administrators to reward two PVUSD classes with a cash donation. Pumpkin purchases are tallied on a big chart and the teachers with the highest numbers will get cash to put toward school supplies or a class party.

This is Dutra's third year running a pumpkin patch on the outskirts of town. He moved the sales yard—a festive area full of scarecrows and Halloween decor surrounded by dried corn stalks—a few blocks closer to St. Francis High on a hillside with prime views of the Pajaro Valley.

Dutra opened Saturday. Pumpkins cost $1.75 to $15.

"It was a really busy weekend," he said. "I was really surprised."

For the first time this year, Dutra grew all of the pumpkins himself. He planted 2 1/2 acres of vines and harvested about 5,000 pumpkins in a variety of sizes.

"I did become a pumpkin farmer," he said proudly. " On the off-season, I did a lot of research on pumpkins."

There are tiny decor pumpkins, the "little bear" pumpkins that schoolkids love and larger, smooth-skinned pumpkins that are prime for carving.

"I look out and go 'Oh my god, these are all my babies,'" Dutra said, surveying the manicured rows of orange leading down the hillside.

Dutra said he has birthday parties and school group visits scheduled for the pumpkin patch, in addition to the regular fall shoppers looking for that perfect gourd for a jack o'lantern. Families love posing for photos on the hay truck or in one of the many Radio Flyer red wagons. 

Jimmy's Pumpkins is located between St. Francis High and the county fairgrounds on East Lake Avenue. It's open 1-6 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday to Sunday. The weekday hours will be extended to 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the last two weeks of the month.