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Growing Your Own Pumpkins - For Eating or Carving

Varieties of Pumpkins tp Grow!

Would you like to grow your own pumpkins? It's easy and there are so many varieties of pumpkins, there is sure to be one suited for your purpose, soil type and climate!

This guide will help you to select the right pumpkin to grow in 3 easy steps!

Purpose: select whether you want a pumpkin for eating, carving, multipurpose, decoration or sheer size - see
For just pie / cooking pumpkins see this page and For just giant pumpkins, see this page. For all pumpkins, including decorarative and carving pumpkins see the master list
Look at the number of days it takes to grow to be sure you have a long enough season where you are, to grow them. The far right column has links to where you can get the seeds.
Then see our pumpkin growing guide.

If you need pumpkins at a time of year when they are not usually available (December to July) for a wedding or party, you may want to consider decorative pumpkins. And see this page for more information about pumpkins for weddings!

Would you like to grow your own pumpkins? It's easy and there are so many varieties of pumpkins, there is sure to be one suited for your purpose, soil type and climate!

This guide will help you to select the right pumpkin to grow in 3 easy steps!

Purpose: select whether you want a pumpkin for eating, carving, multipurpose, decoration or sheer size - see below.
Then look at the number of days it takes to grow
Then see our pumpkin growing guide.

Pumpkin Variety Name	Description	Seed Suppliers
Appalachian	Jack-o-lantern, round, dark orange with average peduncle. Vigorous vines
Autumn Wings gourd	Deeply winged and warted vibrant colored pears and other shaped gourds	Johnny's
Baby Bear	105 days. All-America Selections winner. Deep orange, 1 ½ - 2 ½ lb fruits are half the size of normal pie pumpkins. Ave 8 pumpkins per vine. Good for pies and superior storage quality. Between a pie and a mini-pumpkin, flattened, medium orange.	Pinetree Johnny's
Baby Boo	95 day. 2-3 inch diameter deep orange (sometimes white) ribbed fruit. Mini, flattened and ridged	Jung
Baby Pam	105 day. Best quality for pie pumpkin. Bright, deep orange skin and thick tan handle. 4lb. Seed treated with thiram. 4-5 fruits per plant.	Johnny's
Bat Wing	90 day. 1/4 lb unique orange and dark green (if harvested early) become fully orange at maturity. Semi-bush vines.	Reimer Jung
Big Max	125 days - Giant squash-type pumpkin (oblong, orange, huge.
Buckskin	Large pie size, taller than wide, tapered towards blossom end, tan, with short thin peduncle.
Carnival (squash)	Mottled green, yellow and orange acorn squash with excellent flavor. Vigorous, semi-bush vines yield a large number of fruits.	Jung
Casper	Pie size, round, white, with thin, short peduncle.
Connecticut Field	A large, all purpose pumpkin, good for carving and pies.	Reimer Seeds
Dill's Atlantic Giant	125 days. Huge pinkish orange pumpkins. Current world record of Atlantic Giant is 1,469 lb. Seed from Howard Dill of Nova Scotia.	Johnny's , Pinetree
Fairytale	Medium to large, heavy for size, flattened, heavily ridged, deep tan at maturity. Vigorous vines had white markings on leaves and showed very little powdery mildew.	Reimers
Futsu Black (squash)	105 days This very deep green ribbed and warted squash appears to be almost black. The golden orange flesh is delicious with a strong taste similar to hazelnuts. Fruits are large with weights close to 10 pounds a possibility. An excellent storage variety.	Pinetree
Gold Fever	Smallish jack-o-lantern, round, medium orange, uniform size and shape, with good peduncle. Early maturity.
Gold Rush	Large jack-o-lantern, round, medium orange, with very thick peduncle of average length. Long vines.
Gold Standard	Smallish jack-o-lantern, round, medium orange, uniform size and shape, with average peduncle.
Golden Hubbard (squash)	90-105 day. Deep golden-yellow flesh has excellent flavor and a fine-grained texture. Nubbly skin 12-14 lb and hubbard shape.	Jung
Harvest Moon	90 days. Mid-sized (6-14 inch) Get orange fruits before the end of the summer. The vigorous plants are very prolific, producing many round, smooth, dark orange pumpkins (8-12 pounds on average), suitable for carving, decorating, and eating.	Pinetree
Harvest Time Hybrid	95 day. Tall 24-28 lb dark orange smooth skin and good carrying handles.	Jung
HMX 6688	Pie size, round, dark orange, with thick peduncle. Vigorous vines.
Howden	Standard jack-o-lantern, round, slightly taller than wide, dark orange, with average peduncle.
Howden Biggie	Large jack-o-lantern, taller than wide, dark orange, with average peduncle. Vigorous vines.
Howdy Doody	Smallish jack-o-lantern, round, medium orange, very uniform, with thick peduncle of average length.
Hybrid Pam	Pie size, slightly wider than tall, dark orange, thick long peduncle.
Jack Be Little	95 days. Tiny, flattened pumpkins ribbed orange aver. 3-4in diameter for table decoration. Sweet-fleshed for eating. Avg 12 fruits per plant.	Reimer, Pinetree
Jack-B-Quik	Mini, flattened, light orange, with small peduncle.
Jack O' Lantern	110 days. Excellent for carving and cooking. Medium sized round to elongated in shape.	Burpee
Jamboree Hybrid (squash)	95 day greenish-blue gray skin lightly ribbed, flattened round fruit. 9-11 lb Sweet orange flesh rivals the best winter squash for eating quality. Vigorous high-yielding vines.	Jung
Jarradale (squash)	100 days This Australian variety is very unusual. The skin is a very attractive ribbed blue-gray. Ten pound fruit can be 34 inches around and the flesh is orange and sweet. Stores well. Medium size, flattened and ridged, dull blue-green.	Johnny's, Pinetree
Jumpin Jack	Standard jack-o-lantern, taller than wide, light orange, with average peduncle.
Kakai	100 days Eye-catching, medium-small, avg. 5-8 lb., black-striped pumpkins. After displaying the pumpkins next fall, you can scoop out the large, dark green, completely hull-less seeds, which are absolutely delicious roasted. Kakai is a variety of the Austrian type that yields the valuable green pumpkin seed oil that some European studies show promotes prostate health. Semi-bush, short-vine plants. Avg. yield: 2-3 fruits/plant.	Johnny's
Lakota (squash)	100 days. Another choice that is both decorative and good eating. The pear shaped fruit can go as large as 7 pounds. The flesh is a golden hue with a fine flavor. The skin color is a variegated green and orange although some fruit will be entirely orange and others entirely green.	Pinetree
Long Island Cheese (Squash)	90 days. This East Coast heirloom is thought of as a great pie squash. The name comes from the similarity in shade and shape to a big wheel of cheese. The buff colored skin reveals attractive, firm orange flesh. Fruits are 6-8 pounds and storage qualities are excellent.	Johnny's Pinetree
Lumina White	105 day. This is the classic white pumpkin that many brides seek for their Fall weddings. White skin with blue cast. 8-12 inches across. Good for pies. Large pie size, flattened, creamy, with short thin peduncle. Medium vines showed low levels of powdery mildew.	Reimer Seeds, Jung, Burpee
Magic Lantern	Jack-o-lantern, round, slightly taller than wide, medium orange with average peduncle. Vigorous vines had medium to low levels of powdery mildew.
Marina di Chioggia	Blistery, bubbled, slate blue-green rind. Avg. 6-12 lb. bumpy squashes make a wild yet subdued ornamental statement for fall. Amy Goldman in her new book, The Compleat Squash, describes this Italian seaside specialty as deliziosa, especially for gnocchi and ravioli, and a culinary revelation.	Johnny's
Merlin	Jack-o-lantern, round, dark orange, with average peduncle. Vines had medium levels of powdery mildew.
Moonshine	Wonderful small, white pumpkin. Very uniform, smooth-skinned pumpkins avg. 8-12 lb. Perfect for decorating or carving. Long, dark green handles. Avg. 3-5 fruits/plant	Johnny's
Musque de Provence	125 day. Ribbed, flat, tan fruits 8-15 lb. Thick, deep orange moderately sweet flesh. Sold in cut wedges in France. 2 fruits per plant.	Reimers, Johnny's
Mystic	Pie size, round, dark orange, with thick peduncle.
New England Pie	The classic New England pie pumpkin. Dark orange-skinned pumpkins in a range of small sizes, typically 4-6 lb. Although not as sweet as squash, the well-colored, orange flesh is relatively starchy, dry, and stringless. A well-known mini Jack O'Lantern type for pies.	Johnny's
One too Many	110 days. 20 lb oblong fruits have a white background accented with midribs and stippled veins of red.	Jung
Ol Zeb's	Standard jack-o-lantern, round, medium orange, with thin peduncle. Large vines.
Phantom Hybrid	110 day. Deep orange 20-30 lb fruit with strong carrying handles. Tremendous yield potential. Perfect for jack-o'-lanterns.	Jung
Pik-a-Pie	Pie size, round, medium orange, with somewhat thick peduncle. Short vines. Vines all dead at harvest.
Pro Gold 200	Jack-o-lantern, slightly taller than wide, light orange, with average peduncle.
Pro Gold 510	Standard jack-o-lantern, round, slightly taller than wide, with average peduncle.
Prizewinner	115 days Best color “huge” type Earlier maturing and looks more like a regular pumpkin than Dill's Atlantic Giant 1-2 fruits per plant	Johnny's

Racer	85 day. Extra early, ribbed, dark orange. Dark green handle 12-16 lb Semi-bush productive vines. 2-3 fruits per plant.	Johnny's
Rex 38040	Smallish jack-o-lantern, round, slightly flattened, dark orange, with thick peduncle of average length.
Rouge Vif d'Etampes	95 day. Deeply ribbed flat Cinderella style pumpkin. Can reach 25 lbs. Deep orange-red skin with outstanding sweet moist thick flesh, Very flattened, ridged, bright reddish-orange, with thin peduncle.	Jung Johnny's
Rumbo (squash)	100-120 days. 14-15 lb, looks like a Cinderella pumpkin with superior flavored dark orange-yellow flesh and deeply ribbed orange-yellow shiny skin	Jung, Park
Snack Jack	95 day. Pie size, slightly taller than wide, medium orange, slightly thin peduncle. Hull-less seeds good for roasting. Bright orange 2-2.5lb pumpkins with good flavor for pies. Semi-bush vines	Jung
Spirit	100 days 100 day. 10-12 lb bright orange-gold. Short 4-5 foot vines. Flesh good for pies and canning. 1997 AAS Winner.	Reimer, Jung
Sunshine Hybrid (squash)	80-95 day. Vitamin-rich bright orange flesh of this Kobocha-type winter squash is thick, creamy-smooth, stringless with an outstanding sweet, nutty flavor. Space saving 6-8 ft vines yield good supply of 3-4 lb fruit. 2004 AAS Winner.	Jung
Sweet Lightning	100 day. 1lb, edible ornamental, creamy-yellow, orange-striped 3"x5" fruit. Semi-bush vines	Jung
Sweet Sugar Pie (early)	90 - 115 day. Excellent for pies and canning . Orange-yellow thick meaty flesh. Small, round, dark orange skin 6-8 lb.	Johnny's, Jung, Burpee
Tom Fox	110 days Developed by New Hampshire farmer Tom Fox. The well-ribbed, medium-sized, avg. 12-20 lb., pumpkins have a deep orange color and fantastic handles: fat, long, dark green, and strong. They grow on long vines in a variety of shapes and are thick-walled and heavy for their size. Avg. yield: 3-4 fruits/plant	Johnny's
Touch of Autumn	Pie size, round, medium to light orange, with average peduncle. Short vines.
Trax Field	Standard jack-o-lantern, slightly taller than wide, medium orange, with slightly short peduncle. Fruit matured late.
Trojan	Large jack-o-lantern, round, taller than wide, medium orange, with nice-sized peduncle. Vigorous vines showed low levels of powdery mildew.
Valenciano	110 day. Snow-white skin. 11-15 inch diameter x 6-8 inch tall, slightly ribbed . Thick orange flesh suitable for pies. 2 fruits/plant.	Johnny's
Wee-Be-Little	85 day. Mini, round but slightly taller than wide, medium orange; Baseball size globe-shaped pumpkins have smooth, deep orange skin and sturdy handles. Space-saving bush plants spread 6-8 ft. 1999 AAS Winner	Johnny's Jung
Winter Luxury	85-100 day. Very productive medium 10 inch diameter with finely netted golden russet color. Deep golden thick sweet flesh is rated among best for taste and texture.	Jung
Wolf	120 days Huge strong handles. Distinctive round pumpkins are deep orange with moderate rib. Thick flesh helps prevent flat-siding. Nice breeding work by Western New York farmer Chris Awald. Matures late. Fruit weights range from 18-28 lb.	Johnny's
Wyatt's Wonder Pvp	115 days. Open pollinated variety produces big fruits weighing 200lbs or more. Intense orange color does not fade.	Jung