A Few Words About
Who We Are
We are the Kessingers, (not the Plumper family). We named the farm for bigger, better, plumper pumpkins.
We have five adult children. Two currently work on the farm and live in the area. A third lives in the Portland Metro area, another is attending school in Phoenix, Arizona and the last one lives and works in Austin Texas.
We've lived here since 1993, and have had the pumpkin patch open since 1998. In other words, since Farmer Jim looked like this:
We are excited to welcome you to our farm!
The Kessingers
History of the Farm
Plumper Pumpkin Patch & Tree Farm, LLC is a family farm owned and operated by Jim & Peggy Kessinger and their family. The 65-acre farm was purchased in 1993. In 1998, Jim started farming pumpkins on one acre of land with only the Kubota & John Deere 2240 tractors. Jim had left the high-tech world of Intel in 1997 to pursue the idea of a vocation that allowed a flexible work schedule to accommodate a growing family life, working outside growing plants and trees, and creating a place where families could experience a working farm. The farm has evolved over time with new opportunities and various challenges. Currently, we grow 25 types of pumpkins, as well as, gourds, squashes, a variety of other produce and five types of Christmas trees. No matter the changes each year brings we remain a family centered environment selling directly to customers.
The farm was originally founded by the Krueger family before 1890. The first structure was the core of the existing barn completed in 1890 making it over 130 years old. The farmhouse was completed in 1892. Both structures have been modified over time. At one point the farm was 300 acres and included a dairy, a sheep flock, a walnut orchard, plum orchard, and a variety of other crops. Many members of the Krueger family still live nearby.
A railroad tunnel was built under the farm in 1910 to 1911. This allowed the farmhouse to be the first in the area to get electricity. One entrance is on Rock Creek Road and the other is at the bottom of the sharp curves on Cornelius Pass Road. The one-mile-long tunnel opened up railroad traffic from north Portland to the Hillsboro area and is still in use by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line. There are several good stories about this tunnel that our guests love to hear. Be sure to ask Jim about them.
