Great gourds at Knox's Pumpkin Farm

“You need to decorate more,” said my daughter when I complained about the scant number of trick-or-treating children at our door last Halloween. “You need some corn stalks and stuff. One pumpkin just isn’t enough.”

Hmm, maybe she’s right. When something is as attractive as a pumpkin, more is more. So I decided to drop by Knox’s Pumpkin Farm, north of Courtice, where the golden gourd can be found in abundance, along with decorating supplies, farm animals, pies, pony rides, tractors, a corn maze and enough kid-friendly fun to keep toddlers well entertained for hours.

New this year is the barn “bootique”. Well, the barn’s not new, but the shop is. Decorating supplies like the corn stalks my daughter was so keen on are all bundled and ready to go, along with bales of straw, pots of chrysanthemums, black felt cats and other Halloween-themed items. Where there are pumpkins, pies are never far behind. If you haven’t eaten enough over Thanksgiving, you can grab one here. I was fascinated with the cobs of popcorn that can be popped whole in a brown paper bag in a microwave.

A crowing rooster and his flock of Rhode Island Red hens pecked at a cob of corn on the grass between the pumpkins. Closer to the house a peacock and two peahens paraded past an old tractor. For youngsters who are fascinated with all kinds of machinery the tractors prove an irresistible lure. Luckily kids are welcome to climb over them or take a spin on one of the pedal tractor-style tricycles in the play area, with parental supervision, of course.

On weekends six tractors pull wagonloads of families on the 20-minute trip over the creek and out to the field to select a pumpkin or three – they’re cheaper in trios. With tens of thousands of pumpkins, there’s plenty of selection, but picking the pumpkin is only the start of the fun. How about a tour through the child-friendly corn maze? Or a visit to the animal barn, home to a litter of pot bellied pigs, baby chicks, goats, cows and a llama.

Knox’s may be a pumpkin farm, but it’s also known for its Percheron horses.  Next month six of dappled gray mares will be competing at the Royal Winter Fair in the six-horse hitch.