Tyler Swafford’s enthusiasm for raising pumpkins and gourds is contagious. The lifelong farmer, himself the descendent of a lifelong farmer, makes his home on Dayton Mountain overlooking Tennessee’s Sequatchie Valley. Swafford’s father raised tomatoes and other produce and passed his passion down.
“Pumpkins are fun to grow,” Swafford says. “They are pretty to look at (and) can be used in decorations. And they have a lot of holistic purposes.” He adds that they’re very healthy for humans and livestock to eat. In his experience, chickens, cows and pigs have a particular affinity for the popular fruit.