When visiting Bella Organic Farm, 12 miles from downtown Portland on Sauvie Island, one of the first things you see is a mural climbing its farm store’s facade, of sunflowers and dahlias reaching toward blackberry vines. Painted by Portland artist Alex Chiu, the mural captures the seasons of the immigrant-owned family farm, the only certified organic U-pick on Sauvie Island. Sofia Kondilis-Hashem — the founders’ daughter, who now runs the farm with her siblings, children, extended family, and friends — often hangs in the farm store, chatting with regulars among the produce displays and pickle jars. Her kids, 13 and 15 years old, help with the pumpkin patch and haunted corn maze, and her parents still pop by for events.
“It’s an American-dream kind of scenario,” Kondilis-Hashem says. “Half my life we’ve owned this farm. And we haven’t strayed from our values.” Just like how the farm-grown fresh produce in the store changes periodically, flats of plump blueberries and strawberries making way for sunset-shade heirloom tomatoes and violet-hued plums, Bella’s agritourism experiences also shift seasonally. Below, find a season-by-season guide to Bella Organic Farm.
Fall: Organic Pumpkin Patches and Haunted Mazes
Autumn is one of Bella’s busiest times of year. In the mornings, families flock to the farm to hop on the free hayrides, wander the 7-acre corn maze or tromp through the pumpkin patch. Gourds are a Bella specialty, and the farm grows 50 varieties of organic pumpkins and squash, which also become pumpkin butter and syrup sold in the farm store. Autumnal treats abound; in September and October, expect treats like hand-dipped caramel apples and fresh-pressed cider, plus a pumpkin ale made in collaboration with Portland brewery Hopworks.
In the evenings, Bella’s weekend-only haunted corn maze — one of the largest in the state — begins to welcome guests into its ghoulish fields, where zombies and chainsaw-wielding farmers lurk behind its rustling corners. While groups of revelers brave the maze, others hang out at the farm around the bonfires, enjoying lamb gyro and hummus bowls loaded with Bella-grown produce.
Bella’s haunted maze is separate from its all-ages corn maze, which is available throughout the week and changes every year. In 2026 the theme is Five Kind Acts, shorn to resemble a ring of people holding hands. The hope is that the design inspires visitors to share on social media five kind acts they’ve done. Each person who shares their five kind acts gets free admission to the corn maze. Admission to the farm is free, though events like the costume party or admission to the mazes may have their own individual ticket price.
Spring: Bella Returns With an Easter Egg Hunt and Farm Store Produce
The first sign of Bella’s return each year is its weekend-long Bunny Hop, an all-inclusive Easter egg hunt and bash complete with a petting zoo, hay maze, face painting, unlimited cow-train rides, and a meet-and-greet with the Easter bunny. Admission comes with a pair of bunny ears, a raffle ticket and a choice of Easter basket.
The egg hunt is more than a single free-for-all. Throughout the weekend, the farm hosts 21 specific egg-hunt time slots, broken up by age group, with additional allergy-friendly egg hunts and an adult version. There’s more than candy hidden in the plastic easter eggs; you may end up finding free tickets to the haunted maze or pumpkin vouchers for the coming fall.
By May the farm opens in earnest, starting with the farm store. Jars of pickles, jams, syrups and candies made with Bella produce circle the space, as well as freezers stocked with berries and wine made from Bella fruit. Early in the season, fresh farm produce displays may include leeks, asparagus, sugar snap peas, lettuces, kales, brassicas and rhubarb, plus first-of-the-season strawberries like Hoods and Totems. Toward the back of the store, you’ll find candles, art, books, lotions and soaps, often leaning on Oregon-made products.
Summer: Take the Berry Express to U-Pick Berries and Sunflowers, Followed by a Tasting Flight
By June Bella’s Berry Express transport bus is back on its route, ferrying buzzing U-pick enthusiasts out to the farm’s fields. Certified organic U-pick produce is hard to find, and Bella’s options are abundant. In June the farm offers U-pick strawberries (including the elusive, candy-sweet Hoods), blueberries and sour pie cherries. By July pickers begin filling buckets with thornless blackberries, marionberries and heirloom tomatoes. And in August Bella’s sunflower festival begins, opening the fields for U-pick and photo ops among the blooms. The admission ticket to the field includes two U-cut sunflowers, but visitors to the farm can also pay for cow-train rides and snack on cheeseburgers and fresh corn on the cob sold at Bella’s Courtyard.
Those less interested in adding manual labor to the summer bucket list may prefer to hang out at the courtyard for wine tasting. While Bella’s berry and grape wines are available by the bottle throughout the season, summer is the best time to experience the farm’s tasting flights, which include collaborative beers and ciders made by Portland-based Hopworks Brewery and Portland Cider Co. Flights might involve ciders brewed with Bella’s organic berries or Great Gourds of Fire, an ale brewed with cinnamon, ancho chilis and Bella’s roasted pumpkins. Pair it with a charcuterie board or a veggie-and-cheese board, all featuring Bella’s own produce, jams and pickles.
