I farm: “Three acres of pumpkins, one acre of sweetcorn, 350 acres of tillage and 25 to 30 sucklers with my dad. We grow winter barley, wheat and oats, and spring oats.’’

This week: “We’re getting the last of the winter sowing done, and then I’m busy in between with the pumpkins for Halloween. My pumpkin patch is open to the public, so you can come and pick out your own pumpkin. I’m busy lifting them and making them look nice. We’ve had over 5,000 visitors in the last two weeks.”

Pumpkin-growing: “I went to America to work on the harvest a few years ago and I saw a lot of pumpkin-growing out there. I’ve been growing pumpkins here since 2012. I plant them in a greenhouse at the beginning of May and leave them for about a month until they have three true leaves.”

The crop: “It was very dry early in the year when they needed lots of water and not enough sun when they needed heat, so there was no bumper crop this year. They were still OK though; I’m happy enough.”

Varieties: “There are lots of unusual varieties and some taste better than others. The red and orange varieties are your typical carvers. The Crown Prince or Sweet Lightning varieties are good for cooking.”

Pumpkin prices: “Prices are not too bad. The UK market is poor at the moment, so that will probably transfer to here. I have no interest in selling to supermarkets. It’s the one aspect of the farm that I can sell directly to the customer, and that’s what I like about it.”

Quotable quote: “The perfect pumpkin has a nice attractive black stalk, nice ridging and is a bit heavier than it looks – a good strong one.”

Family: “I live with my fiancée Natasha, who gives me a hand with the pumpkins. My parents are Ben and Maureen.’’