Pumpkin patch practices and gourd garden grooming.
#89614
When you go to pick your pumpkins, be it from a store or pumpkin patch, how do you bring them home? I've seen some funny pictures of pumpkins riding shotgun, wearing a seat belt. :)

I just ask because I hear some of you say "I'll be carving 15" or "We have 30 to do" and I always wonder where they come from and how you bring them back home. So how do you bring them back home? Do you fill up a truck? Do you have to take multiple trips? I thought about this while nursing a sore back recently. It's a lot of work to transport these fruit. :lol:

Mine traveled in these plastic bins, in the back of a mid-size crossover SUV. I then wheeled them inside a couple at a time, with a heavy duty wheeled cart.

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#89619
I have 20 this year so far. I enjoy picking out pumpkins so I make multiple trips usually 5 at a time and just put them in the trunk. I'm not going to lie a few pumpkins have ridden shotgun with me before. I have some big ones this year but I always carry them one at a time not by the stem. I have one pattern blown up 200 % just to fit my kin and others I have multiple patterns on. I pre transfer with saral paper and markers.
#89620
I drive an Eclipse so there is not a lot of room to transport anything. I usually can't find too many good sized pumpkins in one place so I tend to get a few at a time over multiple days. If I found some place with 10 or so that I could take home all at once I'd probably have to borrow a larger vehicle from a family member. Luckily I can back up right to the door of the basement where I keep them and bring them in.

I like the idea of putting them in bins to keep them from rolling around and possibly breaking on the ride home.
#89684
The secret is to stuff enough in the trunk that they haven't room to roll! I put mine in the trunk, backseat and shotgun. I think my personal best is 15 in a Ford Contour.
#89702
Back of the car for me. I always lay out a nice soft blanket for them to sit on and tuck and wrap other blankets in between them all so they don't knock against each other or roll around. Amanda's right, if there's too much space left over they tend to go walk about so I always pack 'em in tight. I only got seven this year so I had plenty of room but in years past when I've bought 15-20 ive had one sitting on my knee for up to 5 hours. Not fun, talk about dead legs.
I don't use wheelbarrows or anything to transport them out of the car, just lift them. I did get a touch of groin strain this year from lifting one too many :oops: :lol:
#89731
I lay down a blanket then some plastic garbage bags (for the mud) and strategically place them in the back of my 4Runner so they don't roll. If I have too much room I just fill in the space with dead orc bodies. Sure it smells a little but since Sauron fell there just so many lying about.
#90037
I drive a New Beetle, so it's always fun to try and see how many I can fit. The trunk is actually pretty roomy, I can fit 5-7 depending on the pumpkin size in normal configuration, and a lot more if I move the back seat down:
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But I have also gone with the seatbelt method:
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Today I had a cool configuration in the leg room of the passenger seat because the trunk was full, but I didn't take any pictures.

As for getting them up to my apartment (two flights of stairs :cry: ) I've found the easiest way is to use these two big canvas reusable bags. They can fit two smaller pumpkins or one big pumpkin, and I can carry one on each shoulder and then haul them up. Tonight I tried carrying a third one at the same time and it almost ended badly, so I won't try that again.
#92538
How did I not see this post! :shock: (apparently I've missed a lot of posts lately)

I always shove them (gently) into the back of our van, and drive them home. I usually make about 3-6 trips depending on size, shape, and how many I can fit at once. Though generally, I can fit say: 10-15 at one time. The other factor is if there aren't 10-15 I want.

I take what I like, and leave the rest. I only have so much money to go around!! :P
#95202
I have a town and country that I affectionately call my "pumpkin hauler. I can bring home plenty o foamies in her. They usually are packed in boxes (6 per) so it's easy for me.