Every pumpkin has a best purpose. When it comes to choosing a pumpkin, think about what you want to do with it. All pumpkins are edible, but some taste better than others. Then there are those that are best for carving. Here are a few of our favorite varieties, with their best use!
Miniature Pumpkins
Jack Be Little’, a miniature variety, is dual purpose. Store-bought shiny (painted) ones make an ideal decoration for a holiday table. Remove the seeds from farm- or home-grown specimens and then bake them for a tiny treat. Vine variety. Days to maturity: 90 to 100 days.
- ‘We-B-Little’ is an All-America Selection winner, and ‘Munchkin’ is another great miniature pumpkin. Miniature pumpkins are very productive and easy to grow, sometimes producing up to a dozen fruits per plant.
Photo Credits: National Garden Bureau. On the left, ‘Munchkin’ miniature pumpkins. On the right, ‘Wee-B-Little’ miniature pumpkins.
Pumpkins for carving
- ‘Autumn Gold’ great for carving, decorating. All-America Selection winner. Vine variety. Excellent for Jack-o-Lanterns. Days to maturity are generally 100 to 120 days.
- The larger ‘Magic Lantern’ and ‘Merlin’ are a;sp great for carving and decorating.
Giant pumpkins
- ‘Dill’s Atlantic Giant’ jumbo variety can grow to 200 pounds. Great for those who want to grow a giant pumpkin. Vine will spread to 25 feet, so space is a must. Days to maturity are 130 to 160 days, so plant early! Thin to the best one or two plants. Feed heavily but keep cultivation shallow. Remove first 2 or 3 female flowers after the plants start to bloom so that the plants grow larger with more leaf surface before setting fruit. Allow a single fruit to develop and pick off all female flowers that develop after this fruit has set on the plant. Take care that the vine doesn’t root down near the joints to avoid breakage.
- ‘Big Max’, ‘Big Moon’, ‘Jack O’ Lantern’, and ‘Funny Face’ are some of the best giant pumpkins for carving.
Perfect pumpkins for pies
- ‘Sugar Treat’ and ‘New England Sugar Pie’ are two of the best for cooking and baking. ‘Sugar Treat’ semi-bush hybrid. Days to maturity are generally 100 to 120 days. ‘Hijinks’ and ‘Baby Bear’ are both All-America Selection winners and have sweet flesh for pumpkin pie.
- ‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ is also perfect for pies or soups.
- ‘Peanut Pumpkin’ also produces very sweet flesh and can be great in pumpkin pie or pumpkin puree.
- Heirloom ‘Winter Luxury Pie’ (aka Livingston’s Pie Squash) gets raves for taste but boos for not lasting too long on the vine.
- ‘Baby Pam’; ‘Small Sugar’; ‘Spookie’, a cross between ‘Sugar Pie’ and ‘Jack O’ Lantern’; and ‘Spooktacular’ are great for cooking or carving.
Colorful decorative pumpkins
- ‘Jarrahdale’ has blue-green skin and makes for great decorations.
- ‘Pepitas Pumpkin’ is orange and green.
- ‘Super Moon’ is a large white pumpkin.
Photo Credits: National Garden Bureau. On the left, ‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ pumpkins. On the right, ‘Peanut Pumpkin’.
Photo Credits: National Garden Bureau. On the left, a ‘Jarrahdale’ pumpkin. On the right, a ‘Pepitas Pumpkin’.
Reader Comments
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Jarrahale comment and question
Second year into gardening.
Last year I used a Max seed which produced a strong vine and flowered but no fruit.
This year thanks to some great tips from this site and learning about the Jarrahale pumpkin I planed and am still harvesting the pumpkins. The Jarrahale seems to be a great pumpkin to eat and it is decorative.
Question: my first last frost should be Jan 12 or 21 cannot remember. Could I plant the seeds for next year in January? Would is matter about frowning a larger pumpkin?
Halloween Pumpkins~
Thanks for your Pumpkin Growing info; I have seen Halloween Pumpkins which leave the dried curly tendril on a longer stem; I see them on mini pumpkins; I like the Orange Pumpkin w dry stems too; (don't pick a pumpkin up by the stem; the stem won't hold the pumpkin);
Definition of "Regular"
When you say pumpkins should be fed regularly, what does that mean? Every day? Every week? Every month? Beginners need more direction...
Also, you recommend compost, old manure, (how old?) nitrogen and phosphorus as fertilizers. Just compost and manure or just a commercial fertilizer with nitrogen and phosphorus, or all those components together? Beginners need to know. Thanks.
pumpkin fertilizers
Hello, MJ, “Regular” usually means once per week (e.g., regular watering usually means once per week), but it can depend to a certain extent on what ferilizer product you use, Consult the packaging for guidance first. Old or aged manure standardly means at least a year old. Anything younger/newer could be too “hot” and burn the plant/s. See here for more in manure: https://www.almanac.com/what-best-manure-compost-gardens and search this site for “manure,” too. Compost and aged manure combined is best; one or the other may be adequate depending on your overall situation (soil quality, etc., the best measure of which is a soil test; see https://www.almanac.com/how-take-soil-test and search “soil test” on this web site for more info). For more in nitrogen and phosphorus, see this page, which explains their presence in commercial fertilzers: https://www.almanac.com/content/npk-ratio-what-do-numbers-fertilizer-mean
We hope this helps.
Pumkins
I planted several varieties of pumpkins. One of them was rouge vif d’etampes. Another was the Atlantic giant and the crinkle family. My rouge pumpkins are getting huge. Is that because I planted them with the other pumpkins? They are huge and still yellow. With green spots. Did I do something wrong?
Thank you,
Diane
Out of Season Pumpkins
I have a kind of weird question! Is it possible to grow pumpkins, anywhere in the US, out of season? Perhaps fully in a greenhouse? I am working on a project that would need Halloween style carving pumpkins in May and June. I have searched all over the internet and have found little to no information. I have been laughed at by pumpkin farms I've called. If anyone has any ideas or info on if this is even possible, I would LOVE to hear it! Thank you!
Growing pumpkins
It depends where you live. In warm-winter regions,you can sow pumpkin seeds in midwinter for harvest in early summer.
Hydroponic
Hi I'm growing a pumpkin plant completely indoors from seed to harvest.
It's hydroponic/Soilless my question the i haven't been able to find the answer to online is, do pumpkins require the light cycle to change BEFORE they will produce flowers.
I'm currently growing it under grow lights at 18 hours of "daylight" and 6 hours of darkness. The vine is growing at an incredible rate but do I have to change to "autumn/late summer" light cycle before I can get flowers?
Pumpkins and Photoperiod
Good question! I don’t believe squash (including pumpkins) rely on changes in photoperiod (day length) to trigger flowering. If started from seed in the spring, squash will flower before the June solstice, while daylight hours are still increasing. Flowering is affected more by temperature and light intensity. Perhaps one of those factors is causing your plant not to flower yet. Or, it could simply be that it’s not old enough or requires a different nutrient mix (less nitrogen). Here’s some more info about growing squash and pumpkins via Purdue University: Cucurbit Growth and Development
Growing Pumpkins~
Growing Pumpkins How well would Pumpkins (small) grow on a small stone wall with roots in ground or pots ? Would the stone wall have minerals which might harm the leaves? t.y.
Pumpkins on Walls
No, the stone wall should not have any adverse effect on the pumpkin’s growth!
Green pumpkins
I planted my pumpkins late and not all of them were ripe by the time the frost came. About a week or so after the first frost came and therefore after the vines were completely dead, I picked all the pumpkins left even though some of them were still mostly green. Are they ok to eat? Can I process them still green? Or how do I ripen them?
Also, in that situation should I have left them out on the long since dead vine to finish turning color or should I have picked them?
Thanks!
Green pumpkin
Here’s what the Pennsylvania State coop-extension advises: Unripe pumpkins can continue to ripen off the vine provided they have started to turn orange. If you are impatient and must have that pumpkin sitting on the porch now—or if the perfectly shaped pumpkin at the farmer’s market still has some green on it—go ahead and harvest! Also, if disease or pests are damaging the vines, or there is a threat of a hard freeze, it’s time to bring those pumpkins in. Pumpkins can survive a light frost that will damage vines, but a hard freeze (<28°F) will weaken the rind and give bacteria an entry which can shorten storage time significantly. The semi-ripened fruits should be cut off the vines and set to cure in a well-ventilated space with temperatures from 80°to 85°F and relative humidity between 80 and 85%. Semi-ripened fruits do not store well.
You can eat pumpkin that ripens off the vine but it may not have the most desirable taste. At least you have something for your efforts!
after the harvest
Now that I have harvested my pumpkins and brought them in to wait for Halloween. I'm wondering what to do with the remaining vines. Do I cut them at the ground, do I dig them up? I want to prepare the area for a next year and by the way it doesn't look very nice right now
After Harvest
If you’ve harvested all your pumpkins, the plants can be disposed of. Cut back the vines and pull up the main part of the plant, then toss it all on the compost pile if the plants seem relatively disease free. Generally, we recommend not growing the same crop in the same spot in back-to-back seasons (a technique called crop rotation), as this can increase the likelihood that the same pests and disease will accumulate in that space. However, if your plants seemed healthy throughout the season, you can start to prepare your soil now.
No fruit so far
I read most of the other comments, but didn't see anything about how long it takes a pumpkin to grow. These are the Jack 'O' Lantern variety. It's getting late in the season.
This is my first time growing pumpkins. I put lots of new soil to expand the growing area.The plants are huge and bigger than I expected, but that's ok. Thx
Jack O' Lantern
The Jack O’ Lantern variety averages 110 days to maturity in full sun with proper food and water. See more detail about this variety: https://www.burpee.com/vegetables/pumpkins/pumpkin-jack-o-lantern-prod00...
Pumpkins
Our pumpkins seem to grow well initially, but some time in their development turn to mush. This can happen while on the vine or after bringing home. What's the problem? Also, this year I've noticed what look like squash bugs on the most mature pumpkin, which is already bright orange. Best battle plan?
mushy pumpkins
The problem is water, either administered or from the sky. Too much of it, which promotes fungus. Put something under the pumpkins to keep them off the wet ground, something that does not “hold” water like a board or even plastic. Newspaper, for ex., would hold the moisture.
Here’s more about squash bugs: https://www.almanac.com/pest/squash-bugs
Thank you for the response to
Thank you for the response to my 7/19 comment however, the pumpkin vine has no flowers at all, neither male nor female. The vine looks healthy and is growing very well but no flowers. A very tiny female flower would appear, dries up and a shoot would appear from that portion on the main vine.
no flowers
It could be that your soil has too much nitrogen, which promotes leafy growth. Do a soil test.
We responded about female flowers because that is a common problem. We hope this response is your solution.
No flower on the vines
Hi, I live in zone 6b and started my pumpkin indoor. the were planted 2 weeks after setting them outside in late May. Now the vines are very green and healthy but no flowers 7/19. what should I do? is it too late since the weather start changing in September and we can get a frost as early as November.
No Pumpkin Vine Flowers
Hi Amanda,
Sometimes persistent hot and humid weather can delay the plant from producing female flowers, and therefore from producing fruit. Pumpkins need a lot of constant watering, so try increasing the amount you’re watering your plants. There’s still time to produce a few pumpkins! We hope this helps.
the latest I can plant pumpkins
my grow season in North Carolina is weird and long so trying to find the latest i can plant the seeds in 27576 zip code area
sowing pumpkin seeds
Normally, you can seed pumpkins through July 1 in North Carolina. See more detail here.
Pumpkins
Thank you for your information about growing pumpkins. Pumpkins are not a vegetable but rather a fruit.
last years pumpkins
Last year i grew pumpkins for the first time, going in knowing nothing and with a tiny little patch. It was SO much fun and turned out well which was a bit of a surprise lol
We had an abundance of flowers which i would snip and stuff ( my kids loved them ) i highly recommend doing this !
If i saw a new female flower i would take one of the male flowers and gently put the pollen inside the female . I did this to ensure pollination as i had been losing some of the starts . We have some bees and a lawn that grows dandelions and clover which i like to keep for them but sometimes it gets mowed down . I hand pollinated just in case but it wasn't always necessary.
Pumpkin flowers turn black
Hi my pumkin vein growing well but flowers grow very tiny n black why is it happening so no fruits no flowers onlt drk leaves n vein is growing
tiny black flowers
We’ve searched our resources and can not find a specific cause—so many thing afflict pumpkins! See above for pests and diseases and if you don’t find a satisfactory result, contact your local cooperative extension (click here or above https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services); they know you area and general conditions better than we do.
Hope you fin an answer—and a solution.
Hail damage and frost
This is the first year I've successfully grown pumpkin. It had a rough start do to a freak hail storm destroying a large quantity of my garden. Surprisingly my pumpkin plants and watermelons gave me a surprise I'm back from the dead regrowth. They have survived and thrived despite the hail, extremely hot summer weather, dogs that won't stop peeing on them thru the fencing and wild rabbits eating all the baby pumpkins. I have 5 pumpkins that are the size of my fist and growing beautifully but now there's talk of an early frost in 10 days! What should I do to help my pumpkins to keep growing and not lose them all in just over a week. I would really like to succeed this time :-(
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