If it’s pumpkin season, Quinn Schomburg has a lot to do! Photos: Quinn Schomburg
A couple of years ago, Quinn Schomburg’s girlfriend, who was away on a family trip, fretted over missing the opportunity to carve her own pumpkins. To help out, Schomburg individually carved her a pumpkin—and 100 more, lining the sidewalk of her house with his handiwork.
Schomburg is a 25-year-old nonverbal adult who utilizes text-to-speech technology, as well as drawings, imagery and photos, to communicate. His fascination with pumpkins dates to babyhood and later preschool, drawing jack-o’-lanterns on construction paper. He believes that all pumpkins are happy and all pumpkins strive to become jack-o’-lanterns.
Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This message fits Schomburg like a pair of favorite work gloves. You see, Schomburg works at Knapton’s Raspberries, Pumpkins & Orchard and Pleasant View Gardens in Maple Plain.
Gabe Knapton, an owner, remembers the Schomburg family visiting the farm years ago. “They were regulars,” Knapton says. “Quinn liked pumpkins, among the other things.” Eventually, the visits turned into an opportunity. “We had an agreement,” Knapton says. “We gave Quinn a chunk of land to grow pumpkins, flowers, potatoes and tomatoes. In exchange, he would pull weeds and help with the harvest.” Today, Schomburg is a Knapton’s employee, working with apples, raspberries and veggies in spring and summer and pumpkins in the fall.
Schomburg started working at Pleasant View Gardens when he was a senior in high school. Owner Anita Volkenant says, “He started in the greenhouse and plants, weeds and waters.” During the fall, Schomburg’s focus is on its pumpkin patch. “We harvest 1,500–2,000 pumpkins and gourds,” Volkenant says.
As a team-building exercise, Volkenant initiated an employee photo contest. Schomburg won his first contest with a photo of orange tulips. He would win another with a pumpkin image. “He almost always wins,” Volkenant says. “He is tough to compete against.”
Schomburg’s photos are on display at Pleasant View Gardens and can be purchased as greeting cards at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Pleasant View Gardens, the Plymouth Farmers Market and on Etsy (PumQuinns).
