Plan on carving pumpkins this fall season? Did you pick up some perfect pumpkins yet? If not, ShoreBread can help. We’ve put together a guide to local pick-your-own pumpkin places and farm stands. Check out the guide for picking pumpkins below and then visit any of the MD and DE pumpkin pickin’ suggestions and get carving!

How to pick a pumpkin on the Eastern Shore:

The best place to purchase a pumpkin is at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Picking your own pumpkin from a vine guarantees that it is fresh and healthy. By this point in the season, some patches may be picked over. The next best solution? A farm stand. Our country back roads are littered with farm stands. Trust in local farmers to provide you with recently picked pumpkins. Although it may be cheaper, purchasing pumpkins at large superstores or grocery markets is discouraged. Pumpkins that are shipped into stores are often jostled and damaged during transportation.
 
Damage. Always look for soft spots, bruises, or scars on a pumpkin. These can all be signs of a spoiled pumpkin – which means it will rot faster and decay quickly once carved. Pumpkins that sit upright are the best. Make sure that the stem is attached to the pumpkin; you’ll need it as a handle to your future jack-o-lantern.
 

Store your pumpkins in a cool, dry place before carving them. Your pumpkin will last longer if it is away from heat and humidity. If the forecast calls for frost, bring your pumpkins inside. Frost can immediately turn a pumpkin to mush.
 
Get carving! Carve or decorate your pumpkin any way you’d like. Search Pinterest for neat decorating ideas.
 

Need to know where to snag a pumpkin? Check out the markets below:

MARYLAND
 
Breckenridge Adventures
  • Mill Road, Vienna, MD
  • 9-acre cron maze, moon bounce, pumpkin patch
 
Adkins Farm Market
  • Mount Hermon Road, Salisbury, MD
  • Pick your own pumpkins, 7-acre corn maze, play area, and more
 
Oakley’s Farm Market
  • Route 50 West, Hebron, MD
  • Pumpkin patch, corn maze, scarecrow supplies
 
Wright’s Farm
  • Old Railroad Road, Mardela Springs, MD
  • Pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay rides
 
Jones Produce Farm
  • Snow Road, Edgewood, MD                           
  • Pick-your-own pumpkins
 
DELAWARE
 
Johnson's Country Market
  • Selbyville, DE                        
  • Pumpkin patch, hay rides, corn maze, fresh produce
 
Fifer Country Orchards
  • Allabands Mill Road, Camden-Wyoming, DE
  • Pumpkin patch, hay rides, 6-acre corn maze, zip line, staw castle, corn crib, straw slides, and more
  • Note: Closed on Sundays
 
Loblolly Acres
  • Turkey Point Road, Woodside, DE
  • Petting zoo, hay ride, pick your own pumpkins, sack slide, staw maze, corn maze                           
 
Wicked R Western Productions
  • Wyoming, DE
  • Petting zoo, corn maze, pumpkin bounce, pallet maze, wagon rides, pumpkin patch                        
  • Pick-your-own pumpkins
 
Mr. Pepper's Pumpkin Patch
  • Laurel Road, Laurel, DE                      
  • Pick-your-own pumpkins, maze, hay rides, produce