Popular Waterloo tree farm introduces a pumpkin patch for the first time

Fields to Forks: Offering fall traditions From CTV Kitchener’s Shannon Bradbury: A Waterloo farm is opening it doors to families looking to create new fall traditions.

Waterloo — Benjamin Tree Farm has been a Christmas tradition for 30 years, operating as a choose-and-cut retail business in North Waterloo.

This year, the farm is opening its doors to families looking to create new fall traditions.

"When people come to the farm they can find all their decorations for the fall season and we also have a play mound for the kids to play on," owner and manager Gerard Demaiter said.

"All sort of activities for them to do. We are going to have fire pits going so people can roast s’mores, marshmallows and hot dogs."

The farm is just down the road from what was once Nauman’s Farm, a popular pumpkin patch that announced it would be closing earlier this year.

Benjamin Tree Farm says they worked closely with the Nauman family to carry on the fall family experience that has been a part of the community for over 20 years.

"With the Naumans we have worked together. Their website forwards to our website which is a great start," Demaiter said.

"We also purchased their pumpkin-related items that they had for the pumpkin patch and we have rebranded them with Benjamin Farm. We worked all summer to get ready for the transition."

The farm will open to the public this weekend and will stay that way until Halloween, with measures in place due to COVID-19.

"With COVID this year there is definitely some uncertainty," Demaiter said.

"We have all the social distancing measures in place, mandatory masks in our buildings, we have hand sanitizing stations, wash stations, those are at the entrances and exits. We are also doing scheduled frequent cleaning of all of the facilities.”

It'll be a new place for fall family traditions, with some equipment visitors may recognize from the past.