Costa Mesa

Summer, Meet Fall: Sunflowers and Pumpkins Abound at This OC Field

Hana Field, the Costa Mesa plot overseen by Tanaka Farms of Irvine, will open a week ahead of schedule, thanks to its bountiful, U-Pick crops.

John Lamb/Tanaka Farms/Rebecca Richardson

What to Know

  • Hana Field in Costa Mesa will be open on Sept. 24 and 25
  • The Tanaka Farms team helms the site, which is about a 10-minute drive from its main Irvine location
  • $10 entry per person (children ages 2 and under are free); U-Pick sunflowers and pumpkins are available for additional fees; a $10 parking pass is required and you'll want to book both your entry and pass in advance

The bridges that span the seasons are fairly easy to detect, if you just know where to look for them.

Bridges exist in the world, of course — no one would dare argue otherwise — but there are quirkier connections that take a person from Point A to Point B, such as those spans that stretch between two different times of the year.

And finding summer-autumn meet-ups?

That's not too difficult, all told.

It happens when you spy someone sipping cider near a swimming pool or shopping for scary decorations on a hot afternoon or browsing Halloween costumes while wearing a sundress or sandals.

Sometimes, though, the summer-autumn bridge can grow pretty and even poetic. Look to Hana Field, the Costa Mesa-based plot overseen by Tanaka Farms, to see this theory at whimsical work.

Hana Field has become synonymous with sunflowers, which in turn have plenty of summery connotations. And as we leave summer and head into the first few days of fall 2022?

The sunflowers are most definitely bursting at Hana Field, as are the pumpkins.

Seeing both flower and fruit together is a true September sight, and an uplifting way to embrace the first weekend of autumn 2022, which, yes, will boast summer-like temperatures.

In fact, Hana Field was due to open in early October, but thanks to the big sunflower bloom the Tanaka team is welcoming U-Pick fans a week ahead of schedule.

A few things to keep in mind before you go?

You'll want to book your ticket in advance, most importantly.

Note that this ticket is good for admission, while sunflowers, pumpkins, and other field-fun features will require separate fees.

Parking is limited, so you'll want to secure your $10 parking pass before you go (also important).

And, again, this is all happening in Costa Mesa. Hana Field is about a ten-minute drive from the longtime Irvine home of Tanaka Farms, so you could possibly visit both if you'd like. Oh yes: The Irvine pumpkin patch opened just ahead of fall, on Sept. 17.

Of course, sunflowers have become a symbol of fall as well as summer, and finding a pumpkin-inspired treat in the warm days of August? That, too, has become more common in recent years.

But one of the biggest bridges between summer and fall may now be seen in Hana Field, where both sunflowers and pumpkins are briefly meeting up, with beauty and cheer, over the last weekend of September.

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