It’s that time of year when the creatives (and the kids, who are given a sharp little knife for a change) get a bit show-off-y and tell each other about the origins and legends of Celtic and other Halloweens.
The spiral iron staircases are decorated with pumpkins carved with smiles of varying degrees of anguish. Pumpkin pie is eaten and made into gnocchi and lattes and hats for cats.
Pumpkins are important – and the coolest among us find pumpkins green or white and turn them into a contemporary art biennial-caliber installation. Moms buy mini-pumpkins to put in the center of tables – kids call each other “pumpkin-face” in back alleys.
Pumpkin picking and buying is also ritualized, and the road-trip through Quebec’s red-and-gold autumn countryside is part of one of the best days of fall for Quebecers. We’ve got 8 places to visit to pick up your pumpkin…
1.at the Centre d’Interprétation de la Courge du Québec, in Saint-Joseph-du-Lac
The Centre d’Interprétation de la Courge de Quebec is a little paradise for cucurbit lovers. Cucurbits are pumpkins (for the scientists). What’s more, it’s only a 1-hour drive from Montreal.
The most discerning always go to the source for the famous all-white pumpkin, or the one that looks swollen with warts – but aesthetically, of course.
There’s an incredible variety of pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors. Kids will love the picking, and adults will be charmed by the pumpkin-growing exhibits (and the glass of wine with pumpkin chips before leaving). Pumpkins are serious business.
Where? 839 Chemin Principal, Saint-Joseph-du-Lac
When? August 30 to October 19 inclusive, Saturdays and Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
How much?
Pumpkins;
0.50 to $3.00 | mini pumpkins & decorative gourds
3.00 to $6.00 | Spaghetti, Oranghetti, Smallghetti, Ambercup, Sweet Mama, Poivrée, Célébration, Délicata, Butternut, Red Kury, Autumn Frost, Silver Edge, Grey Ghost, Blue Ballet, Sucrine du Berry, Turban d’Aladin
6,00$ à 12,00$ | Musqué de Provence, Porcelaine Doll, Blue Doll, Rouge d’Estampe, Pink Banana, Hubbard Verte, Hubbard bleu, Galeuse d’Eysine
3.00 to $6.00 | Regular orange pumpkins (Halloween type)
3.00 to $12.00 | Special pumpkins (warts, white, giant)
2 At Citrouilleville in Saint-Zotique
On autumn weekends, you can spend some time in a special 90s after-school in the vein ofHalloweentown and Charlie Brown, The Great Pumpkin… It’s somewhere between a fairy tale that transforms the pumpkin patch into a magical world for children and an influencer’s paradise for the pumpkin-picking post.
You can stroll through houses built of pumpkins, pray at the Great Pumpkin Altar at the Pumpkin Church, take some home…
It’s less than an hour’s drive from Montreal, in Saint-Zotique, and well worth a sunny autumn afternoon before Halloween.
Where? Ferme Benoit Vernier, 560 69e Avenue, Saint-Zotique, Québec, Canada, J0P 1Z0
When? Every weekend between September 13 and November 2, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. / and Thanksgiving Monday, October 13, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
How much? general admission for adults from $13.05 / tickets here!
3.aux vergers Pierre Tremblay & Fils, Mont Saint-Grégoire
Les Vergers Pierre Tremblay et Fils, located at the foot of Mont St. Grégoire, offers a pick-your-own experience in an overgrown field.
Explore the orchards to find the perfect pumpkin, while enjoying panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
Kids will be happy to pick the last apples of the season, adults to taste the cider and bring home an apple pie to warm up and eat with hot chocolate. And the orchards are only a 45-minute drive from Montreal.
Where? 375 rang de la Montagne, Mont Saint-Grégoire
When? daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
4.at Petch Orchards, Hemmingford
We don’t know Hemmingford very well, but it’s a municipality in the heart of Quebec’s agricultural countryside, and one of the best places to spend an afternoon pumpkin-picking (with good rain boots for running through the fields).
It’s only an hour’s drive from Montreal too, and the road is beautiful – so you can see the colors too.
Where? 431 Route 202, Hemmingford
When? From September 12, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
5.at Ferme Reid in Sabrevois
Ferme Reid in Sabrevois is a must for pumpkin lovers, and looks a bit like the pumpkin patch of all the Halloween after-school specials of our childhood.
There’s also a corn maze where we’ll panic a little when we can’t find the kids…
The look is rustic, but there’s a wide variety of cucurbits, from pumpkins to gourds of all kinds. It’s a getaway just 45 minutes from Montreal.
Where? 485 route 133, Sabrevois
When? Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
6 Au Potager Mont Rouge, Halte Gourmande in Rougemont
Potager Mont-Rouge Halte Gourmande is an autumn jewel in one of Quebec’s most beautiful hills.
Not only can you pick your own pumpkins, but you can dine at the Halte Gourmande, stroll around the farm, take home a bag of apples or two…
This fall getaway is less than an hour from Montreal.
Where? 154 Rang de la Montagne, Rougemont
When? Mid-September to Halloween, open weekdays from 8am to 6pm and weekends from 8am to 5pm.
7 At Marineau Farm in Laval
Located just a few kilometers from the city, this family-run farm offers visitors the chance to choose their own pumpkins from a wide variety of sizes and shapes.
You can also pick autumn flowers and get lost in a corn maze.
We can venture out into the vast pumpkin fields, breathe in the fresh country air and select the perfect pumpkins for our Halloween decorations or pies (or lattes).
Where? 4356 Bd Dagenais O, Laval
When? The labyrinth is open from July 18 to October 26, 2025, pumpkin picking opens on September 13.
SCHEDULES – August 23 to October 26 (Times may vary according to weather and field conditions.)
SATURDAY | 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
SUNDAY | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How to get in
ADMISSION FEE FOR ACCESS TO THE FIELDS (WITHOUT PICK-YOUR-OWN)
Children 0 to 3 years……………………………………………………………….Free
Children 4 to 17 years…………………………………………………..8.95 + taxes
Adults …………………………………………………………………… $12.95 + tax
FAMILY PACKAGE (2 adults and 2 children under 18 or 1 adult and 3 children under 18)
Admission only (no U-pick)……………………………………………………………….38.95 + tax
Happy pumpkin picking!