COLOURFUL pumpkins are providing an added attraction to fields on farms in the Vale of Evesham.

Pumpkin fields in America have been a common sight for many years and now more growers in this country are producing the eye-catching crop.

One such grower is Michael Freemantle, of Smokey Lane, Cropthorne, who now grows five-and-a-half acres of pumpkins and in fact has been growing the crop for the past 13 years.

He also grows attractively shaped gourds which create a lot of interest.

Most of his pumpkin crop goes to wholesale markets across the country, including London, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Bradford, and he also sells direct to the public over the farm gate.

Mr Freemantle, group vice-chairman of Evesham Growers branch NFU, is also involved in trialling pumpkin varieties to establish which are the best both to grow and sell.

"I always hope for a yield of about 20 tons to the acre which amounts to an awful lot of pumpkins," Mr Freemantle said.

The average weight of his pumpkins is about 7-8lbs but they range from 1lb up to as much as 35lbs, with the bulk in the 3lb to 13lb range.

The smaller pumpkins, he said, tended to go for eating, and the bigger ones for the Halloween trade.

It is the orange pumpkins growing in the fields which attract the attention of passers-by, but Mr Freemantle said: "The pumpkins we encourage people to buy for eating are the grey ones which have a much better flavour than the more spectacular orange pumpkins."