J & L Pickin' Patch

10/03/2026

Pumpkin and mum restock alert! The big boys with the cool stems are stocked as well as all the colorful and funky stickers and ornamental pumpkins. Add to your shopping list gourds, mini pumpkins, corn shocks and straw bales (both big and minis!), and we can be your one stop shop to complete that fall porch vibe. Open 11-6 today and tomorrow.

PS. The flowers last good weekend has passed but that doesn't mean you can't still stuff a cup. We have a special today and tomorrow. Come see me and I will tell you all about it!

10/01/2026

You know the weather has been goofy when your lilac bush decides to bloom again in October! At least the bumbles are enjoying it...it smells heavenly too! 😲

10/01/2026

Excited to be partnering with PBS again in support of their Explorer Club. If you have young children you should check it out!

October’s Explorer Club Benefit is here!

Explorer Club members can enjoy a free mini pumpkin at J&L Pickin’ Patch when they present their Explorer Club Benefit of the Month card!

It’s the perfect way to add a little fall fun to your October. If your child is an Explorer Club member, be sure to take advantage of this month’s benefit!

Not a member yet? Give us a call or visit our website to learn more about joining Explorer Club.

Benefit covers one mini pumpkin valued at up to $4. Additional costs, if applicable, are the responsibility of the member.

J & L Pickin' Patch

09/27/2026

I know it is going to happen anyway, but I am trying to save you the heartache of visiting over the next couple weeks and being told the flower picking is done! The plants are tired, the weather is cooling and the days are getting shorter. I learned very quickly fighting Mother Nature is the easiest way to lose. If you want to pick a beautiful bouquet, wander or take some pictures in the flowers today is the day!

Pumpkins are also fully stocked with new colorful stackers and big orange jacks. Lots of huge mums that are just starting to show color available and straw bales, corn shocks and gourds to round out that fall display! Come see us.

09/25/2026

I think this is one of the most underused things that I grow here. First, it is stunningly beautiful and secondly it smells amazing. I think it works especially well this time of year as it adds a moody mysterious feel to your fall arrangement! Ok, enough of my opinions onto the fun facts!

🍁 An aromatic herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). The taste is generally described as a mix of mint, basil, anise, and cinnamon with savory hints of clove and cumin. This is also basically what it smells like.

🌿 Natural antiseptic: Shiso has traditional use as a food preservative and antiseptic, helping prevent food poisoning when eaten with raw fish like sashimi. Historically, real serrated shiso leaves were placed between raw foods in bento boxes because their natural antibacterial oils helped prevent food spoilage.

🍁 Natural Food Dye: Red shiso (aka jiso) is used to turn traditional Japanese pickled plums (umeboshi) a bright ruby-red color.

🍁 It is used in a wide array of culinary practices. Most common uses include wrapping sushi and sashimi, floated in soups, sliced into salads, or fried as tempura.
ndia, and parts of East Asia.
🌿 Native to the mountainous regions and highlands of the Himalayas and Southeast Asia, including China, India, and parts of East Asia. While technically a perennial it functions as an annual here in our climate. It does self seed, but I have not found it to be an extremely aggressive self seeder.

🍁 In China, it's called zǐsū, which means "purple perilla." This is where the Japanese name shiso comes from. In Vietnam, it's known as tía tô, and in Korea, it's called soyeop. In English, shiso is sometimes called the "beefsteak plant." Other common names include "perilla mint," "Chinese basil," and "wild basil.

🌿 In the Ozarks they call it "rattlesnake w**d" it earned this unique regional moniker because its dried, hollow seed stalks rattle loudly when brushed against or disturbed along a walking path, mimicking the warning sound of a timber rattlesnake.

What do you think, will you be adding shiso to your next bouquet? Maybe test your asian cuisine cooking skills! 😄

09/23/2026

Sunflowers and mums need I say more! Probably not, but I will anyway. 😆

The Sunflower field is in full bloom! A little squishy a lot beautiful. Also a mum restock happened today. These are just starting to show color and are perfect for giving you the longest and most beautiful show possible. All potted fully blooming mums have been marked down but will continue to put on an amazing display for many weeks.

I have been waiting for things to dry out a bit so I don't turn the fall market into a mud pit but a pumpkin restock is happening just in time for the weekend which looks to be absolutely gorgeous compared to this nonsense we have had lately!

As previous mentioned it may be the last great weekend for a u-pick experience. The flowers have lived their life and now want to go to seed. Don't delay! If you haven't been out to take in the beauty and pick a fresh bouquet your chances are slipping away by the day.

PS I walked through the very first 1/4 acre planting of zinnias tonight and I dunno....maybe I am biased...maybe it was the lighting, but there was something stunningly beautiful about it. It's hard to put into words....it was kind of like walking through a dried arrangement mixed with a fresh bouquet....I dunno...come check it out, let me know how it felt to you. I thought it was breathtaking. 😍

09/22/2026

Its official, today marks the autumn equinox, where the day and night are nearly equal with about 12 hours of daylight and darkness. The days will progressively become shorter and the nights become longer slowing everything down as the days grow cooler. The weather forecast seems to agree and it looks like it will be feeling pretty fall like! This weekend looks beautiful for a visit to the farm.

I have been asked quite a bit lately about the flowers and if they are still good/able to be cut. The short answer....I wouldn't delay. This weekend may be the last good weekend for picking. As the weather cools and the days shorten plants do what plants do and there is little I can do to stop Mother Nature from doing her thing. There are still lots of gorgeous blooms and the sunflower field is blooming beautifully!

Come out this week, browse our excellent variety of stacker pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, gourds and mini pumpkins and add some flair to that front porch. We also have mums, ornamental corn, strawbales and cornshocks to round out the fall porch vibe. Cut the last bouquet of the season, wander the wildflowers and sunflowers as we say goodbye to summer and hello fall.

09/20/2026

We braved the rain yesterday, which honestly wasn't too bad but today is a different story. Rain and thunderstorms today are supposed to be more continuous. The ground is thoroughly saturated and slopping around in mud is no ones idea of a good time.

Next time you see me it will officially be fall! Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative for you to come enjoy the flowers and the sunflower field before they are done for the season and of course pumpkins....technically it isn't fall until you have at least one on the front porch! 😉 😊

09/18/2026

❤️ It adds a trailing whimsical touch and the puffs are a fun texture in your bouquet. It is prone to wilting, so cutting in the early morning when cool is ideal. It has a typical vase life of 5-7 days. Currently it is growing on one of the vine tunnels in the flower field!

💨 It belongs to the soapberry family and is rich in saponins. These are natural plant compounds that foam up when mixed with water. The seed and crushed leaves were used by indigenous cultures to wash clothes.

❤️ Nature's Cortisone - the roots and leaves have been used for centuries in homeopathic medicine to soothe skin irritations. It is the active botanical ingredient in several OTC homeopathic creams for skin rashes and eczema.

💨 Its primary method of spreading is hydrochory (water dispersal). Its lightweight pods float down streams and rivers and it is often found growing along them.

❤️ Its seeds have often been used as decorative buttons or for beads in rosaries.

💨 While now globally widespread, it is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, and is considered invasive in several countries and four states (TX, AR, AL & SC) with warmer climates. Here in the upper Midwest it performs like a slow growing annual and most seeds do not survive winter.

What do you think, should I grow more of this for you to put in your bouquets next year? What flower grown on the farm should I feature next Friday? Let me know in the comments!