Despite a spring freeze that wiped out its summer blueberry crop and a recent surgery that prevented its owners from planting their regular pumpkin field, Blueberry Ridge Farm in Mineola is opening for its fall pumpkin patch season.
Group field trips begin by reservation on Monday, Oct. 5, while the farm opens to the general public on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Owned and operated by Jerry and Jill Graves since 1992, the farm transitions each autumn from fruit production to seasonal family activities and agricultural education.
This year’s season comes after a challenging stretch for the operation.
“The freeze caused us to lose our blueberry crop, so we didn’t open for U-Pick this summer. Thankfully, the plants themselves weren’t damaged, and we are praying for a good 2027 season,” Jill Graves said.
The farm also paused active planting on its usual two-acre pumpkin field while Jerry Graves recovered from surgery. To ensure the patch could open on schedule, the farm sourced pumpkins from outside growers for visitors to select throughout October.
For Jill Graves, opening the pumpkin patch in 2020 grew out of her 30-year career as a high school business and technology teacher.
“When I retired after 30 years as a business and technology teacher, my plan was to start a pumpkin patch. I noticed my students had very little interest in being outdoors and were mostly focused on technology. I wanted to show kids that playing outside with each other is a lot of fun,” Jill Graves said.
Agricultural education remains central to the farm’s weekday field trips. While students typically tour active growing rows to view blooms and developing fruit on the vine, this year’s curriculum has been adapted to focus on plant cycles and crop production, helping give students a better understanding of how their food grows.
“We discuss the pumpkin growing season,” Jill Graves said.
Though no fresh blueberries were harvested this year, blueberry jelly made from prior harvests remains available for purchase in the country store.
The farm offers a variety of outdoor games and stations, including hayrides, a petting zoo, sack races, obstacle courses, scavenger hunts, stick-horse barrel racing, and a new slide added for 2026.
Seeing multi-generational interaction remains a highlight of the season for the owners.
“I love watching parents play alongside their children. One of my favorite memories is a father barrel racing his son using stick horses and doing sack races together. Kids love it when their parents play with them,” Jill Graves said. “
That emphasis on family connection has been central to the property since the Graveses first acquired it more than three decades ago.
Their path to farm ownership began when the native East Texans routinely drove past the property along U.S. Highway 80. After seeing a “for-sale” sign, they purchased the land and managed it off-site during summers before building their home on the property in 1999.
Originally planted as a 10-acre conventional blueberry operation, the Graveses transitioned to organic growing methods featuring four blueberry varieties.
Jill Graves recalled that she made the decision to purchase the farm before realizing a basic detail about the fruit.
“I bought a farm and I didn’t even know if I liked blueberries. I prayed, ‘Lord, please let me like blueberries!’ Thankfully, when June came, they tasted fabulous,” Jill Graves said.
As the farm opens for the fall, the focus remains on welcoming community members to the property.
“Our farm is very beautiful in the fall. We want to share with others what God has blessed us with,” Jill Graves said.

Know Before You Go
Field trips: By reservation Monday-Friday beginning Oct. 5, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Call 903-372-7119 or 903-569-1550 for rates and reservations.
Public hours: Saturdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 2-5 p.m., Oct. 10-31.
Address: 2785 E. U.S. Highway 80, Mineola
Email: blueberryridgefarmmineola@gmail.com
Website: blueberryridgefarm.com
Social media: Facebook, @blueberryridgefarmMineola; Instagram, @blueberryridgeorganicfarm