Pumpkin season starts well before summer turns into autumn. You’ll need to plant your crops in early May through June to make sure you’ve got a crop that’s worth all that pumpkin spice you crave.
Pumpkin: The Official Vegetable of Fall
There’s nothing more “autumn” than pumpkins. Pumpkin spice shows up in favorite foods, lattes, and scented candles. All sorts of beloved baked goods, from muffins to pies, feature this signature fall vegetable. Some of us love savory pumpkin soups, stews, and pasta. It’s always fun to roast some pumpkin seeds after the Jack-O-Lanterns have been carved. And, of course, a day at the local pumpkin patch is a delightful way to spend an autumn afternoon.
What Type of Pumpkin Should I Grow?
There are different types of pumpkins to grow depending on what you want the end result to be.
If you want to make pies, you will grow a different type of pumpkin than if you want a colossal jack-o-lantern.
Heirloom Pumpkin Varieties to Grow
Pumpkins come in a variety of interesting shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. They’re almost all useful for fall decorations, but they also have some other great uses.
Here are some of our favorites:
Connecticut Field Pumpkin
The most traditional of all autumn pumpkins, the cultivation of this variety goes all the way back to at least the days of the Pilgrims.
Connecticut Field pumpkins are 15-20 pounds and are a favorite for Jack O’Lanterns.
Casper Pumpkin
You can probably guess where this round, white pumpkin gets its name. It’s a great choice for carving a spooky ghost or skull.
Casper is also a good choice for painting, thanks to the white skin. Younger kids who aren’t quite ready for carving love this chance to enjoy the fun.
Small Sugar Pumpkin
If you want pumpkins to make a delicious pie, Small Sugar pumpkins are the ones to grow. This heirloom pumpkin is the standard pie pumpkin.
Small Sugar pumpkins are small and round, with sweet flesh high in sugar. They're easy to grow, and a full-grown pumpkin will weigh between 5 and 8 pounds. They're really cute, too, and can look quite adorable when carved.
Big Max Pumpkin
If you want to grow an impressively huge pumpkin, Big Max is a sure bet. This is probably the Great Pumpkin that Charlie Brown was talking about.
This prize-winning pumpkin grows to an impressive 100 pounds if given the right conditions.
Jarrahdale Pumpkin
Surprisingly delicious, most people only think of this blue-gray pumpkin as an ornamental.
Jarrahdale pumpkins grow 12 to 18 pounds and have a smooth, bright orange flesh inside that makes an excellent puree.
Galeux d'Eysines Pumpkin
Also known as “Peanut Pumpkin,” this French heirloom is super sweet and wonderful for eating. The “peanuts” on the flesh are signs of the sweetness within. These lumps and bumps are where the sugars have burst through the skin and formed a rough patch. This is also a favorite Halloween decoration, thanks to the warty texture of the skin.
Atlantic Giant Pumpkin
Do you want to grow the biggest pumpkin in the state? Atlantic Giant lives up to its name for record-breaking prizes. This variety is truly awe-inspiring. It has been known to grow between 400 and 1,000 pounds! Give this pumpkin some room to grow with 50' vines.
Cinderella Pumpkin
For a beautiful decorative pumpkin, plant Cinderella Pumpkin or Rouge Vif d'Etampes. This French heirloom has a striking, deep orange-red color and flattened shape.
Not only is it a popular pumpkin for fall decorations, but it is also superb for cooking. The rich, sweet flavor is perfect for pies, soups, and roasting.
Winter Luxury Pumpkin
Weighing around 6 pounds, Winter Luxury is a manageable size. Its beautiful frosty textured skin, as well as its size and shape, make it a striking ornamental pumpkin.
It has a smooth and sweet interior that also makes it an excellent pumpkin variety for eating.
Harvest Season
When the days start to lengthen, the heat-loving plants in the summer vegetable gardens have stopped producing and are dying back. Yes, it’s time to do some cleanup and plant cool-weather crops, but it’s also a time to celebrate the bounty and appreciate our blessings. That’s why it’s so fun to decorate our homes in harvest colors and enjoy fall flavors. The pumpkin is a rich, beautiful symbol of all the good things that come with autumn.
Ready to start your pumpkin patch? Read more about when to plant and how to grow pumpkins.
It’s time to start planning for the 2024 Pumpkin Season. These varieties give you some great choices for creating a bountiful pumpkin patch of your own.
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Timing is Everything: How and When to Plant Pumpkin Seeds for the Perfect Fall Harvest
Sweet and Juicy Heirloom Watermelon Varieties to Grow
FAQs
Grow each pumpkin on a 3-foot wide mound of warm, fertile soil that has a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Improve your native soil by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter. Pumpkins require a lot of water, so it's best to use a soaker hose or drip irrigation. Avoid wetting the leaves.
What variety of pumpkin grows the biggest? ›
Giant pumpkins are Cucurbita maxima, a different species from the pumpkins used for jack-o'-lanterns or pumpkin pies, which are usually C. pepo.
What is the most flavorful pumpkin? ›
Sugar pumpkins
Also known as pie pumpkins or sweet pumpkins, the sugar pumpkin is perfect for pies because they aren't as stringy and contain less water than other pumpkins. As their name indicates, the sugar pumpkin can be quite sweet compared to other pumpkins.
What kind of pumpkins taste best? ›
Choose sweet varieties, such as Cinderella and peanut pumpkins if you want to bake pies, quick breads, or other desserts. Turban squash works well in savory dishes.
What is the best fertilizer for pumpkins? ›
An all-purpose vegetable fertilizer with balanced NPK ratios also works well. ' Worm castings are available from True Leaf Market. Once the vines are growing strongly, then start adding a nitrogen-heavy fertilizer such as blood meal or feather meal.
What to put under pumpkins while growing? ›
Sand is Your Giant Pumpkins Friend
Having a bed of sand underneath your pumpkin allows it to grow more easily. It makes sense, think about how easy it is to have sand flow through your fingers. It's made up of many small particles. Allowing less friction than if you were growing directly on soil.
How do farmers get pumpkins so big? ›
Plenty of sun, water and space required. Growing large pumpkins requires a full sun location, one that receives no shade at any time during the day. A large growing space is also key to producing large pumpkins, so allow a minimum of 500 square feet per plant for vine growth.
Do pumpkins grow better on the ground or on a trellis? ›
For less than ample garden plots, vertical gardening is the answer. Growing pumpkins vertically (as well as other crops) also improves air circulation which impedes disease and allows for easy access to fruit. Vertical gardening works well on a number of other crops including watermelon!
What happens if you plant pumpkins too close together? ›
If you leave the seedlings crowded together, the plants won't be as strong, and their fruits won't be as big as they could be. In cold climates (Hardiness Zones 2-5), give plants a head start by sowing seeds indoors and transplanting the seedlings into the garden in early summer.
What should you not plant next to squash? ›
You may want to experiment with different companion crops until you find the perfect combination to fit your personal tastes and growing conditions. Avoid planting zucchini and summer squash with all other vining plants which include cucumbers and sweet potatoes as well as pumpkins, winter squashes, and melons.
How to grow pumpkins: 7 tips
- Apply fertilizer. ...
- Prune vines. ...
- Use insecticides wisely. ...
- Use mulch to control weeds. ...
- Choose the proper location. ...
- Properly space seeds. ...
- Manage mildew. ...
- 3 more posts about pumpkins:
'Big Max' and 'Dill's Atlantic Giant' are a couple varieties favored by those who grow show pumpkins. Mini-pumpkins make cute decorations that are the perfect size for little hands to carry. The small fruits are great for trellising vines without added support from slings.
What is the rarest type of pumpkin? ›
“Iran” is the rarest pumpkin we grow. It was first cataloged by the United States Department of Agriculture from seed collected in 1940 at Torbat-e-Heydariyeh, in north eastern Iran. The seed remained in storage until the 1990's when it was rescued by seed-man Glenn Drowns.
What is the most flavoursome pumpkin? ›
Short for Japanese pumpkin, it also goes by 'Kent'. This delicious member of the pumpkin family has been described as the 'foodie's pumpkin' and for good reason: it has wonderful flavour and is very versatile. It has ribbed, grey-green mottled skin and is best suited to grow in warm or tropical climates.
What is the sweetest pumpkin in the world? ›
Kabocha. A popular Japanese variety, the Kabocha has a rough but edible peel, and a round plump shape. It can be dark green or bright orange-red, and has firm, orange flesh. One of the sweetest varieties of pumpkin, its flavour has been compared to sweet potato, while its firm flesh holds together well in the oven.
What is the best pumpkin for carving and eating? ›
Cinderella is a popular variety with a flat shape, deep ribs, and vibrant red-orange skin. The semi-sweet, moist flesh is good for pies and plain eating. Mystic Pie looks like a small version of the Jack-O-Lantern. It can be carved for decorative purposes, but you'll enjoy it most when baked into a delicious pie!
How do you pick a tasty pumpkin? ›
Additionally, The Old Farmer's Almanac has a few tips on picking the best pumpkin. Give the pumpkin a knock to see if it's hollow. If it is, that means it's ripe. The skin should be hard enough that if you press a fingernail into the pumpkin it leaves a dent, but doesn't puncture it.
