Pumpkin-ify your home this Halloween with Dobbies

Garden Centre to host Pumpkin Patch experience

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is launching its first of a kind Pumpkin Patch experience for families in the run up to Halloween (24-31 October). This is a pumpkin-tastic opportunity to pop along to Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and pick the perfect pumpkin to carve at home this Halloween.

Rustic bales of hay and vibrant autumnal pumpkins make for a memorable visit to Dobbies’ Edinburgh store, where families can get the pick of the patch. Here children can take a pumpkin home, carve it up using Dobbies’ guide and create their own personalised pumpkin for welcoming trick-or-treaters.

Sarah Murray, who created this year’s experience, loves Halloween and can’t wait to welcome customers along to the Pumpkin Patch. She said: “We’re really excited about this year’s Halloween offering in Edinburgh as this is the first time we’ve created a Pumpkin Patch. We warmly welcome everyone to come along and enjoy the experience.”

Pumpkins at the patch have all been grown in the UK and are priced at £2.50. No booking is required for this experience, and pumpkin availability is subject to a first come, first serve basis. There will also be an opportunity for families to use Dobbies’ Instagram frame to take a selfie of themselves at the patch and share on socials, for a chance to win a £50 gift card.

If you do come along to Dobbies and pick up a pumpkin this Halloween, Dobbies’ Horticultural Director, Marcus Eyles, shares his top recycling tips to help the environment.

He said: “Pumpkin flesh will make a welcome snack for wildlife and we recommend cutting the pumpkin into pieces before placing it in the garden.

“The seeds are another fantastic source of food for birds and small animals. Collect the seeds, leave them to dry out and place them on a flat surface in your garden to be enjoyed.

“If you’re feeling adventurous and would like to grow your own pumpkin next year, save seeds from this year’s pumpkin and try to grow it next April. 

“If composting is your thing, pumpkins work a treat as they break down easily and quickly. Just be sure to remove any seeds first to prevent unexpected pumpkin plants growing in your compost.”