As fields of wildflowers are to spring, pumpkin patches are the first real indicators of fall in Southern California, surrounded by hay bales, cornstalks and those warty, weird-shaped gourds that usually round out our Halloween decor. This year we offer you a list of 21 options from San Diego to Ventura counties, many of which also include hay and/or tractor rides and opportunities to get lost in a maze of tall corn or prance through fields of U-pick sunflowers. Planning your weekend? Mind you, these pumpkin patches specialize in family fun — leave the scare houses to another story. So do yourself a favor this year and search for pumpkins the old-fashioned way, wandering through somebody’s field (or tent), if only to give your child a chance to see that pumpkins don’t grow in supermarket bins.