Treinen Farm has served the Madison area out of Lodi as a fall experience destination for more than 25 years. The agricultural tourism farm offers an award-winning maze, walking trails, scenic overlooks and exploration areas in addition to the pumpkin patch, animals and playground areas.
It’s rather easy to grow pumpkins in your backyard or garden, but to grow pumpkins on a scale of 18-acres can be a challenge. Angie Treinen and her husband have been tackling these challenges since 1991 as they supply the gourds for decorating, eating and carving to thousands in the area.
Treinen says the farm produces up to 20,000 pumpkins in 25 varieties. She says pumpkins on that scale can be picky about heat, sunlight and rain. Since the leaves and vines cover the pumpkins so well, she says it’s also a mystery as to how they’re doing until the fall, when the leaves die back.
Pumpkins require warm soil, a lot of moisture and pollination. Cool summers will cause problems in patches. An early frost will damage the surface of pumpkins, which isn’t a big deal if the weather remains cool, but if it gets hot after a frost, the pumpkins will rot.
Last summer and fall, Treinen says she was worried about attendance and having to shut down, but the first pandemic year turned out to be great for the business. As the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to be an issue in Wisconsin, Treinen Farm has kept up COVID-19 safety measures and its online ticketing system.
