Tim Nickel's farm, Peter's Pumpkin Patch, continues to see success alongside his sawmill

A few days ago, Peter's Pumpkin Patch in Kaukauna posted the news that many wait for every fall.

"We are open and fully stocked. Fresh-made apple cider, mums, pumpkins, apples and much more!" the Facebook post read.

The start of the pumpkin harvest follows on the heels of the apple-picking season that began a few weeks ago. That said, Tim Nickel, the owner, is a busy man. So busy, in fact, that you might not be instantly greeted by him when you arrive. He might be watching for you from his sawmill shop where he is finishing a lumber project.

He is also the owner of Peter's Sawmill , and as he juggles two businesses, his days are anything but routine.

"I started growing pumpkins when I was about 6 years old and my brothers and I put a stand out in our backyard to sell them," he said. "As we got older, my brothers lost interest and when they went off to school, I kept selling pumpkins and took a year off to focus on our farm's apple orchard and pumpkins."

As he continued planting, growing and harvesting on the family farm, he sold apples and pumpkins as a hobby business while his career took off. Nickel worked at a body shop, in landscaping, and in the high-speed packaging industry where he started sweeping floors, but advanced to the position of mechanical electrical technician.

That success meant traveling all over North America to sell, repair, and troubleshoot equipment. But, after doing that for a decade, the travel got tiresome, and he wanted to spend more time with his family.

"The pumpkin patch kept getting bigger and bigger, so in 2004, I decided to give it a name," he said. "I named it Peter's Pumpkin Patch because that's my middle name and using my first name just didn't sound right."

In 2018, he purchased the family farm along with 15 acres.

He said, "We were on a dairy farm and had about 65 animals including 25 milking cows, but my parents were getting older and wanted to sell the farm. Small dairy farms are not profitable anymore, and the cows were sold in 2017."

The pumpkin and apples business continued to grow, and in 2020, while restoring old trailers, Nickel discovered that there was a demand for lumber. When he had extra wood left over from one of the trailer projects, he advertised it on Amazon Marketplace and was surprised by the number of people interested in buying it.

It wasn't long before he decided to start a second business that specialized in lumber. Equipment was purchased, a shed on the farm was repurposed, and Peter's Sawmill opened next to the Peter's Pumpkin Patch shed. The new business garnered immediate interest.

Nickel said, "The sawmill has grown exponentially over the past four years. People started coming by looking for a certain type of wood and I would find it. They were also bringing in loads to dry, so in 2022, I installed my first kiln so I could saw and dry wood. It all fell into place."

Both businesses also benefitted from the pandemic.

"Going back to COVID, people were looking for things to do where they didn't need to wear a mask. Many needed a desk because they were working at home and had extra time to build one. Our business grew quite a bit," Nickel said.

From word-of-mouth, the growth continues. At the sawmill, the array of customers varies from someone who wants wood for a project to one looking for a completed project. As people hear about his work, they come in to talk and look for advice. For some, it can be sentimental.

He said, "The customer might have a tree they loved that fell down on the property and they want the wood processed to turn it into something special. I've done well supplying them with advice on how they can put projects together. I try to give them an education on sanding, glues, and screwing so they can be successful at it."

Sharing knowledge is part of paying it forward. Much of what he learned when he started was from the owner of another local sawmill who invited him to watch and learn as logs were processed. It was there that Nickels fell in love with the varieties of woods. Upon retirement, the owner sent work his way and advised him on the equipment he would need to expand. Peter's Sawmill is now one of the largest independent mills in Wisconsin.

But that gets balanced with Peter's Pumpkin Patch. Nickel said some of his roles, on any given day, include fixing equipment, processing wood, pouring concrete, harvesting, bookkeeping, and buying seeds.

"I am the president, CEO, and laborer," he added.

He does have some help during the season, but most days he can be found alone in his wood shop facing the garage that is used as a retail shop. He keeps an eye out for the visitors who stop by for some of the 28 varieties of apples, plums, and pears. Customers are given a bag, a map, and instructions as they set off to pick their own from the orchard. The pumpkins are piled and ready for selection along with bales of hay, corn shucks, honey (it is produced on the farm), maple syrup, and squash.

In the past, there have been quite a few school field trips to the orchard and a large fall harvest event. But the success of the sawmill has Nickel lacking time to do much of that.

"The season is long and a lot of hours," he said. "By the first week of November, I'll feel like taking a little time to hibernate. After that, I'll be back at the sawmill and catching up selling and splitting wood and getting ready for a busier season there."

Then, before he knows it, it will be time to start all over again. When the fields are ready in the spring, planting will begin, trees will be trimmed and prepared, additional trees will be planted (he now has 800 trees), and he'll be monitoring for bugs and fungus. He practices organic growing and says he uses organic compounds to achieve equitable fruit. He will spray every seven to 10 days with a total of about 10 applications.

Along with those chores, Nickel is hoping to construct a new building with storage space. He admits that he isn't good at putting the goals on paper because every day is different.

"I just keep moving forward," he said. "That's my advice to others. Follow your passion, be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. No matter how good or bad, just keep moving forward."

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Peter's Pumpkin Patch moves into busy season, continues to grow