Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheri Wilks.
Hi Sheri, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
What started out 10 years ago as a way to teach my children about the value of hard work and to maybe make a little extra spending money has somehow turned into a great little pumpkin patch. My parents own 50 acres in the west fields between Smithfield and Benson. One year dad had some unused acreage so we grew pumpkins. We started out selling from stands in Layton and South Ogden and then my mother suggested a U-Pick at the farm in Smithfield and the Gunnell Farm U-Pick Pumpkin Patch and Farm Stand was born. I started out using about a half acre to grow pumpkins and now rent and plant 3 acres every year. I grow over 100 varieties of pumpkins, gourds and winter squash. Orange jack-o’-lantern type pumpkins are planted in the U-Pick for customers to go out and choose their own and we bring some into the stand as well. At the stand you will find decorative pumpkins, minis, gourds and winter squash. My father grows the prettiest red potatoes in the clay soil at the farm and also gold potatoes which are now a customer favorite. At Gunnell Farm we spend the whole summer getting pumpkins and potatoes ready for customers for our six week sales season from the third Saturday in September to October 30th.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Growing pumpkins in the Cache Valley next to a slough with cold air drainage makes for a short growing season. Late frosts in the spring and early freezing temps in the fall have presented plenty of challenges. Over the years I have found pumpkins with shorter maturity times and better disease resistance yet I still manage to grow some favorite heirloom varieties. My aunt has shared her beekeeping talents to help with pollination and increase yields. I also spend a lot of time researching and trying out new varieties. I’ve learned to watch the weather like a hawk and make educated guesses on how early we can plant. Sometimes the U-Pick has to close early and my crew just slogs it out in the mud and cold to close out the season. Yet somehow we keep coming back after the winter to do it all over again.
The other challenge has been how to grow an agritourism business but staying true to my farm roots and since I only rent my acreage I have to be very conscious about the limits of our growth. I built a business based on the huge variety of pumpkins I love to grow for people who also love fall decorating. At the same time Gunnell Farm has been an affordable place to have a fun fall activity with family and friends. Many have asked if we have hayrides or corn mazes but that just hasn’t been our niche. It is now tempting to add in new things and grow the business but at the same time I think our customers value our simpler ways. For now you will find a couple bean bag games to entertain the kids while mom is trying to find pumpkins for the front porch at a farm stand filled with an amazing assortment of pumpkins. There is also a photo op with our resident scarecrow and a field full of pumpkins that you can pick yourself in one of the prettiest spots in the valley. After all the fresh air and fun you can get some potatoes grown by a nice man who will tell you not to peel them because that’s where all the nutrients are.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
After raising a family and having a career in National Security the farm girl DNA must have taken over and I started growing pumpkins to sell and somehow became a farmer. It all started just wanting to teach my children how to work and wanting to be able to help more at my parents farm. Ten years later I now rent 3 acres from them and run a seasonal U-Pick Pumpkin Patch. It has become well known for the huge variety of pumpkins and gourds we grow and as a low frills place you can come pick your perfect pumpkin. I love seeing customers come back year after year and telling me they just couldn’t wait for us to open again. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up, the pumpkins seem to get heavier every year, but my loyal customers say I can’t stop.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
When I first started this pumpkin adventure I was working in my career field but as an independent contractor so I had the ability to dabble in farming. Many years of this journey where spent thinking I should/could do both. It took me awhile to figure out that it was okay to choose to do want I wanted not what I thought I needed. I discovered that just because I chose a career I didn’t need to stay in it. I chose less money but more time. My previous job was fulfilling but high stress and now I farm and it is fulfilling and sometimes high stress. However I have found quite little moments of time that mean more. Like early mornings when the sun is coming up and a sandhill crane family is walking through the nearby barley field and you realize how few people get to enjoy mornings like this. Or when the sun is going down and I hear the purr of our little David Brown tractor nearby and the clicking noise of the sprinklers as I finish up for the day and somehow everything just seems to be alright. I guess the journey has taught me that I can find peace and joy in a simpler life. Sometimes it is hard, sometimes I think I’m to old for this, and sometimes I have to deal with the unexpected, especially when mother nature is involved. Yet somehow I still don’t want to go back to they way it was before.
Pricing:
- Mini pumpkins – 50 cents & $1
- Ornamental Pumpkins – $2 to $20 depending on size
- Orange Painters/Carvers – $1 to $20 depending on size
- Winter Squash – 50 cents to $12 depending on size
- Giant Pumpkins $25 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gunnellfarm.com
- Facebook: https:/www.facebook.co/gunnellfarm/
