The Californian whose pumpkin patch dream took root in Fife

When Cameron Laird introduced pumpkin-picking to her husband John's farm 28 years ago, she was trying to bring a treasured piece of her American childhood to her new Scottish home.

She remembered the dozens of pumpkin farms that lined the roads near her home in California and was keen to bring the tradition to Scotland where it had not yet taken root.

Almost three decades later, Cairnie Fruit Farm near Cupar in Fife grows 20,000 pumpkins every year and welcome thousands of visitors from all over Scotland and beyond.

The success of Cameron's idea reflects a wider boom in pumpkin patches, with many farmers now diversifying into "experiences" that draw crowds long after other crops are harvested.

John Laird's family farm had offered pick-your-own experiences for decades before he met Cameron but it had always concentrated on signature Scottish produce such as strawberries and brambles.

It was his new wife who suggested the move into pumpkins as an experimental way to boost the farm's income - and as a bit of fun inspired by her US childhood.

"I have such fond memories," Cameron told the BBC.

"I grew up in California and over the hills from us to a place called Half Moon Bay, there must have been 10 or 15 pumpkin farms," she said.

"You would drive along and just choose one and then there were pumpkins as far as your eye could see.

"It was a very vivid part of my childhood and I thought, 'oh, we should do this. We're on a farm, and let's give it a go'."

Cameron and John met when the kilt-wearing Scottish farmer was in California for a friend's wedding.

They married and Cameron relocated to Fife where she initially looked for jobs in the Scottish media industry.

She had no farming background but was eventually persuaded to join family business – something she said had turned out to be a "very good decision".

Despite Scotland's climate being significantly windier, wetter and colder than her native west coast of the US, her Fife pumpkin patch has grown from just over 200 in its first year to almost 20,000 now.

There are also plans in place to extend it out a further acre – making space for about 5,000 more pumpkins.

This year they are predicting more than 18,500 visitors to the pumpkin-picking, giving the farm an additional revenue stream through the autumn months and pushing annual pick-your-own visits above 105,000.

Cameron says pumpkin-picking has also grown into a major social media success, with young Scots flocking to the Cupar field "all decked out in white hats and leather boots" to take photos.

She says Fife's cold and often windy weather hasn't put off the crowds.

"Scots are intrepid," Cameron says.

For many people the chilly weather and needing to get dressed up in thick, cosy clothes is part of the appeal, she says.

"Not to sound cheesy, but it's all about creating those memories and taking photos," Cameron says.

Another farmer who is part of the pumpkin boom is Mike King, the owner of a small cattle and grains farm near Kinross.

His patch started as a hobby but has turned out to be a shrewd financial decision.

"I was getting a bit bored to be honest doing what I was doing," he says.

"It seemed like the same humdrum, year in, year out."

Mike says he got a "notion for pumpkins" about two years ago, deciding to take a chance and experiment with a handful of seeds he bought from Amazon.

The next year he grew more than 4,000 and he's now up to 5,000 this autumn.

"They're great things to watch growing," he says.

"I really enjoy it."

This year he's expanded out from the classic orange pumpkins to now have about 12 varieties on his patch at Gairneybank.

"I've got yellow ones, I've got knobbly ones, bobbly ones, whites, pinks," he says.

He also has a range of sizes, saying this year's warmer summer has led to some of his biggest crops, even finding one weighing in at 33kg - around the same as an average 10-year-old child.

Mike says that expanding his patch could see his income rise but that is not his top priority.

"Everyone seems quite happy," he says.

"It's more of a relaxed thing than a wild day out, but it seems to be working at the moment.

"The farming in itself is quite a lonely existence. I'm here myself every day on my own, so this is totally different to me.

"You're meeting all these nice people and it's very social. It is work, yes, but it doesn't feel like work.

"You are having a chat with people and spending time with them, it's good, I really enjoy it."