Once upon a time Long, long ago
The land between Eagle and Palmyra that is now the home of Pearson’s Pumpkin Place was originally purchased by Raymond “Grandpa” Manners and his wife Erma in 1947 to pasture cattle and fulfill Grandpa Manners’ dream of being a rancher. The land, which was rough and rocky and unsuitable for farming, was used for ranch land by Grandpa until 2010 when his daughter Jerry Pearson and her husband Joel took over.
Like her father, Jerry has always been a dreamer and tried for years to convince her youngest son Alex that the land would be ideal for an outdoor activity center. Although the conversation about a possible pumpkin patch between the two started in 2011, it wasn’t until Alex sold his lawn and landscape business in 2019 that he started seriously considering the idea.
Alex, an entrepreneur and dreamer at heart, fondly remembered his childhood years visiting Vala’s Pumpkin Patch in Gretna every year on his birthday. He also recalls happy days on the farms of both sets of grandparents where he would ride tractors and lawn mowers, climb trees, and build hay forts. These experiences were the inspiration behind the pumpkin patch as Alex knows that not all kids have the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities like he did as a child.
Alex began researching and made the decision to start growing pumpkins in 2021. He knew that if he couldn’t successfully grow pumpkins, he’d never be able to open a pumpkin patch. He trenched electrical and irrigation lines to a ½ acre plot, pampered it with water, and applied pesticides and herbicides to obtain his first successful crop. Once he achieved success, he knew his dream could become a reality and Pearson’s Pumpkin Place was born. Alex and his family sincerely hope that their piece of land can be a place of fun, excitement, and wonderful childhood memories for generations to come.
Year one was a success and as we say from then on out, a pumpkin patch was born!
