Pumpkin Varieties

Carving

• Standard orange varieties such as Autumn Gold, Spirit and Ghost Rider are good carving pumpkins. Autumn Gold is a small to medium pumpkin which weighs up to 15 lbs. This variety is yellow when immature and orange at maturity, and tolerates early frosts. Spirit, which has a semi-bush growth habit, is a medium hybrid which weighs up to 15 lbs. Ghost Rider is a large, dark orange pumpkin which weighs up to 25 lbs. at maturity. Each of these varieties reaches maturity 100 to 110 days after planting.

Cooking

• The Small Sugar pumpkin is a favorite choice for pies. This small, light orange pumpkin weighs about 2 lbs. at maturity. According to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Winter Luxury is a small heirloom cooking pumpkin with a whitish netting over its skin. Dickenson Field and Kentucky Field varieties are popular choices for canned pie fillings. These varieties have a tan color and weigh about 10 lbs. at maturity. All of these cooking varieties are ready for harvest in 100 to 115 days.

Decorative

• Miniature pumpkins make attractive fall table decorations. These varieties weigh less than 1 lb. and measure three inches in diameter at maturity. The Baby Boo miniature pumpkin has white skin, while Sweetie Pie has a scalloped shape. Some miniature varieties, such as Mini Jack Munchkin and Jack-Be-Little, are good baking and cooking pumpkins. Miniature pumpkins are usually ready for harvest in 95 days.

Jumbo

• Jumbo pumpkin varieties weigh 100 lbs. or more. Growers cultivate jumbo hybrids for contests and seed swaps. The University of Illinois Extension states that although Prizewinner is not the largest jumbo pumpkin, it has the most uniform appearance and color. It can weigh 50 to 200 lbs. Atlantic Giant pumpkins are much larger and can weigh as much as 600 lbs. Both varieties reach maturity in 120 days.