Best Pumpkin Picking in Lake County, Illinois and Southern Wisconsin

Oct 26, 2023

It’s National Pumpkin Day!

Did you know that in 2022, Illinois harvested more than 2x as many pumpkin acres as any of the other leading states (California, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia)? Our home state cultivated a whopping 17,600 acres of pumpkins, and Illinois farms grow an average of 37,500 pounds of pumpkins per acre, predominantly made up of “pie varieties” for pumpkin puree and similar products. Plus, the self-proclaimed pumpkin capital of the world is located in Morton, Illinois, home of the Libby Company who makes the ever popular canned pumpkin you see in the store. Pretty impressive, don’t ya think?

Kids choosing fresh pumpkins on a family farm

Here’s some more fun pumpkin facts to impress your pals on the way to the local patch:

Pumpkins are actually considered a fruit, much like cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocados, since they grow from the flowers of their plants.
Atlantic Giants are the largest species of pumpkin, growing as much as 50 pounds every day!
Every single part of the pumpkin plant from the stem to flower to seeds to fruit are totally edible!
Pumpkins take an average of 90 days to 120 days to grow.
Each pumpkin has about 500 seeds apiece.
There are more than 45 different varieties of pumpkin.
Pumpkins are made of about 90% water.

And what a treat it is to be in the reigning pumpkin state, what with Halloween just around the corner and all. Let’s check out these great places to get your last minute carving pumpkins and do a little early turkey day prepping!

Local Illinois and Wisconsin Pumpkin Picking Spots: