Foothills
Pumpkins in Jamestown, where the canyon takes the light early
Jamestown is a narrow canyon town with steep ground, an early sunset behind the wall and regular bear traffic. We agree access and placement with you before booking, then deliver whole uncarved pumpkins and build the display on site.
Building for a canyon that loses the sun early
Jamestown sits down in a narrow canyon and the light goes early. Depending on which side of the creek you are on and how steep the wall is above you, direct sun can be off your front door by the middle of the afternoon in October. That does two things to a display. It keeps color flat for most of the day, and it keeps the ground cold, which means frost sits longer and the underside of any fruit resting on soil stays wet. We work with it rather than against it. Heavier fruit goes on stone, wood or a hay bale instead of straight onto cold ground, groups are placed where the last of the light actually falls, and we lean on shape and scale to carry the display rather than relying on bright sun to do it.
Getting up the canyon
Everything that comes to Jamestown comes up the canyon, on a road that is narrow, winding and in places has nowhere sensible to stop. Weather can close it or slow it right down with very little warning in October. That is a straightforward practical reason why we ask foothills customers to speak to us before booking rather than picking a slot. We need to know where your house sits relative to the road, whether there is anywhere to pull in near it, and how far the carry is from there to your door. Jamestown build days are also scheduled with more flexibility than a metro delivery, because a road that is fine at eight in the morning is not always fine at four in the afternoon.
Small lots and steep ground
Houses in Jamestown are mostly small and they sit on steep, tight ground. Very few have the kind of wide flat frontage that a metro display is designed for. What you usually have instead is a few steps, a small deck or landing, a retaining wall, and a slope going up or down behind it. That is genuinely good material to build with. Steps and walls give us levels, and levels are what make a modest number of pumpkins look like a full arrangement. On tight sites the Little package often does more than people expect, because everything is seen close up and from directly in front. On sloping ground we bed every piece so it seats rather than rolls, and we keep the walking line to the door completely clear.
Bears, and why placement comes before booking
Bears move through Jamestown regularly and they are actively feeding through September and October. In a canyon this narrow there is not much distance between the creek, the road and your front step, so a display sitting by a door is close to everything else a bear is already walking past. We will tell you honestly what we think will happen at your particular address. Sometimes that means keeping the pumpkins off a deck and low to the ground, where a visit means picking things up rather than repairing a rail. Sometimes it means a smaller group in a more open spot. You contact us first, we agree the placement together, and only then do we book. If a bear does get into it, tell us and we will come and look at re-staging it.
Questions from Jamestown
Does the canyon shade help the pumpkins last?
It cuts both ways. Less direct sun means less heat damage in September, but the ground stays cold and damp, and frost lingers in the shade well into the morning. We keep the heavy fruit up off wet soil, which matters more in Jamestown than it does out on the plains.
Can you deliver if the canyon road is bad that day?
Not always, and we would rather move the day than take a risk on the road up. If conditions are poor we will call you and move the build to a better day. We keep foothills build days looser than metro ones for exactly this kind of reason.
Is a small display worth it on a tight lot?
Yes. Jamestown entries are seen from close up and straight on, so the smallest package usually looks fuller here than the same number of pumpkins would on a wide suburban frontage. Steps, walls and changes of level do a lot of the work for us.
Book a package for Jamestown
Prices include the pumpkins, delivery, design and installation. Ask us first. Bears are active up here during our season, so we agree placement before booking.
Fairy Tale
$1,20050 to 60 pumpkins, plus 2 hay bales
The whole front of the house. Two jumbo pumpkins anchor the corners, and this is the one people photograph.
Every package is a deliberate mix of varieties rather than a pile of one thing. The pumpkin variety guide explains what turns up in each one.
- Delivery zone
- Foothills. Ask us first. Bears are active up here during our season, so we agree placement before booking.
- Season
- Mid August to 31 October
- Packages
- Little, Full, Fairy Tale
- Removal
- Not offered. The display is yours to keep.