Location: Hindsville, Ark.
Owners/Operators: Frankie and Marie Fitch, Trey and Malinda Fitch, and Carl Fitch
History: In 1990, Frankie and Marcie Fitch started a pumpkin stand on the family’s farm near Hinsdville, Ark.
“My husband (Trey) and one of his friends planted trees in front of his childhood home as a 4-H project,” Malinda Fitch explained. “We are on Highway 412. The primary purpose was for noise control; this was in the 1980s. When my mother-in-law started selling pumpkins along the highway, it created too much traffic, and the highway department told her she had to get off the highway. The pine trees served as a perfect backdrop for the pumpkins, so she named the business In The Pines because it is literally in the pines.”
After a while, the couple took a hiatus from the business, but when grandson Carl was in sixth or seventh grade, he decided he wanted to reopen. Trey and Malinda Fitch, Carl’s parents, joined in, and In The Pines was back in business.
Products: The family grows several varieties in their 12-acre pumpkin patch.
“In September, we sell special varieties. Some people call them the hard pumpkins, like Jarrahdales, Indian Dolls or Fairytales, then we switch more jack-o-lantern types in October. We sell all kinds all the time, but that’s how the market goes,” Malinda explained, adding that during dry years or years where they might run short of pumpkins, they work with another local grower to fill in the gaps.
Visiting the patch is free, but visitors may purchase pumpkins, corn stocks, straw bales, squash, and green and dried gourdes. If an item is not grown on the farm, the Fitch family works to source as many items locally as possible.
“Our mums are from a grower just a few miles away, and in the gift show, we have local honey, jams, candles, and my in-laws make game boards,” Malinda explained.
The Fitch family has been on the farm for seven generations and recently received a Century Farm designation. Malinda said Frankie and Marie’s daughter, Leslie and her family, and several nieces and nephews pitch in at the patch.
“We couldn’t do it without them,” Malinda said.
In The Pines opens each September “when the crop is ready” and continues through Oct. 31. This year, they are open daily, except Tuesday.
Future Plans: Malinda said the family is always looking towards the future and continuing their family operation.
