Michigan Pumpkin Patch

Michigan has several pumpkin farms where you can take the kids.  Sure, you can buy pumpkins cheaper at the grocery store but it is not the same as a family outing on a nice weekend sunny day.  Get ready to shell out more for pumpkins this year. Hot summer weather and steamy nights resulted in a diminished crop of jack-o'-lanterns.

That means Halloween pumpkins will be smaller than usual and more costly. "There will be pumpkins. It's just, for your best selection, shop early," says Tom Dudek, district extension horticulture agent for five counties in west central Michigan.

Pumpkins that usually cost $3 to $4 will be priced at $5 or $6 this year, predicts wholesaler Joe Pirrone, owner of Mike Pirrone Produce in Macomb Township. Crops in many other states are also hurting from the summer's heat.

Michigan's pumpkin crop will be about half the normal yield, according to Bernard Zandstra, horticulture professor at Michigan State University.   Below are some u-pick Michigan pumpkin patch farms in Southeastern Michigan.