Milton, GA |

Whether you’re decorating for Halloween or prepping your favorite Thanksgiving dish, nothing says fall quite like pumpkins. That’s why places like Scottsdale Farms in Milton are a hit this time of year, drawing in families eager to soak up sunshine, snap a few pictures, and of course—pick the perfect pumpkin.

The farm, which started as a family nursery more than 25 years ago, has grown into a full-blown agritourism destination thanks to owner Luca Gianturco’s vision.

“He put his way through college selling Christmas trees. And he had a dream of building a garden center. And uh, pretty much like Field of Dreams—build it and they will come,” said Dan Kaminski, who oversees operations at Scottsdale Farms. “It’s just great to see the kids having fun, the families taking pictures. They do their whole decorating for fall. We have corn stalks, bales of hay—it’s a real experience.”

While the fall rush brings thousands of visitors, it also serves another important purpose—keeping employees working year-round.

“The key is to keep things going for our employees year-round,” Kaminski explained. “So, in order to provide that year-round employment, we had to come up with other ideas to keep them busy. We roll into spring, then summer, where we do a lot of plantings, and then into fall activities. We plant the corn maze, we grow the pumpkins—it’s all part of the plan.”

And pumpkins, without a doubt, are the main attraction. From tiny gourds to giant jack-o’-lanterns, from smooth white pumpkins to bumpy orange varieties—there’s something for everyone.

“It’s a process,” Kaminski said. “There’s a lot of insects that hinder the process, but we’ve got a team that does a great job with the guidelines and the growing timeframe in order to have them ready for the season. We probably have fifteen to twenty ornamental pumpkin types in addition to traditional jack-o’-lanterns.”

For varieties that don’t grow well in Georgia’s warmer climate, Scottsdale sources pumpkins from cooler regions across the country.

“So, it’s sourced throughout the country—mostly the Carolinas and some from Michigan,” said Kaminski. “The growing conditions are a little bit better there. We look at what we’ve brought in in past years, and we bring in a good percentage of what’s available: ornamental, unique colors. That’s the kind of stuff we look for.”

Whether it’s for baking, carving, or just taking pictures in a patch full of pumpkins, fall agritourism spots like Scottsdale Farms are making it easy for Georgians to embrace the season—and support local agriculture in the process.

By: Damon Jones