By (Updated January 2023)
The Patch MK is a farm open to public twice a year to see and buy sunflowers in the Summer and pumpkins in the Autumn. It’s currently closed but will re-open Summer 2023. In the meantime you can read about my visit there so you can get excited about planning your own trip there later this year…
When I was 13 we had a giant sunflower growing in our back garden, I have no idea why. Throughout my childhood my parents grew vegetables in their London garden. All manner of weird and wonderful legumes, gourds, spuds, spinach and coriander and even more of it colonised their allotment. We also had a giant pear tree and rose bushes but no other flowers. Then for one year a giant sunflower came out. It was an event I’ll never forget. This sunflower was a monster, it had the hugest flower head I’d ever seen and was a thing of complete wonder.
Since then I’ve not seen giant sunflowers growing. I’ll see them in the shops as cut flowers every summer but I’d never seen another giant sunflower in real life until a couple of weeks ago, where I ended up seeing not just my second giant sunflower, but a few thousand of them!
Visiting The Patch MK sunflower farm – what to expect
This summer (2020) The Patch MK in Milton Keynes which normally opens up to the public as a place to buy pumpkins in the Autumn, planted sunflowers and they ended up with a bumper crop. Open for the public to visit them in August their sunflower fields costs around £3 for an adult, less for children, and you can spend a good couple of hours there immersed in sunflower heaven, as I did. (Prices may have changed since I visited their website will have the most accurate prices.)
I spent the entire time in complete awe as it was glorious sunny day with the bluest of skies and every single sunflower looked so vivid in the bright lights. I’d go as far as saying it was the stuff of fantasies for anyone whose favourite colour is yellow.
If that’s you then feast your eyes…
The easiest way to access The Patch MK is by car and there are lots of parking spaces as well as toilets and a place to buy drinks but if you’re thinking of visiting in peak season it’s recommended to buy tickets in advance.
As well as a sunflower field there’s also a huge wheat food (which you can walk though and take some excellent photos) and a hay play and tractor area for children to enjoy.
Most visitors head to a viewing platform which has been designed to give you the best view of sunflower season in Milton Keynes as you can overlook all the fields from that one spot. You can also walk between the flowers and through pathways between them. There are endless photo opportunities and quiet spots to sit down and take it all in too.
On the way out there’s a colourful wildflower meadow and here’s where you can also but sunflowers and wheat (which I did and was loved by my hamster!) I also used the wheat for Christmas crafting!
To find out more about visiting The Patch in the Summer or Autumn, head to their website thepatch.co.uk.
What do you think?