MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – It’s Pumpkinland time at Thies Farm and Greenhouses, a family-friendly tradition Dave Thies has led for 40 years now.

In addition to running around through the autumn obstacle course, Pumpkinland offers a plethora of pumpkins. Kids can even pick your own.

The pumpkin crops did well thanks to the favorable weather conditions.

“I think a little bit above average,” said Thies. “Pumpkins do like drier weather. They can handle the heat much better than other crops. Our biggest problem this year is that they were almost too big. So we’ve had a lot of bigger pumpkins this year. A lot of people are wanting a medium pumpkin.”

There’s also a secret to picking the perfect pumpkin.

“The big thing now and there’s so many new varieties with the big giant stems on them. That’s what most people look for a real solid stem with some size on it. Usually when you want to pick a pumpkin you want to make sure its good and firm and has a good firm stem. Not a mushy stem because that’s a problem down the road,” said Thies.

Your pumpkin if left uncarved could last well over a month if you take care of it properly.

“Keep it from freezing. Keep it dry. Doesn’t like to be in the heat but doesn’t like to freeze. Outside unless it’s real cold then a pumpkin will last well into, probably until Thanksgiving if not into December,” he said.

Thies said their Garden Center in St. Charles also has a Pumpkinland. Families can pick their own pumpkins there and still pick some late-variety apples. There is also a mum sale this weekend for late varieties that are just now starting to bloom.