By William Terry Kelley
University of
Georgia
The cool nights of autumn have brought fresh apples to the fruit
stand and the smell of new-crop peanuts boiling in the kettle. A
trip to the pumpkin patch can’t be far behind.
It’s the time of year when neighbors, businesses and churches are
all competing for the most elegant fall display. Whether it’s for
a fall festival, an advertisement or just the front yard,
pumpkins are almost always the centerpiece of any fall
arrangement.
Take a choice pumpkin selection, add a few shocks of corn, a bale
of hay, some ears of multicolored corn, a gourd or two and you
could be the envy of the neighborhood.
Choices
But just what makes the perfect blend? There are many choices in
pumpkins today. From the traditional orange to white, red, yellow
and even blue, there are a multitude of sizes, shapes and colors
to pick from.
Let’s start with the standard orange. Even among those you have
everything from minis the size of a tennis ball up to giants
twice as big as a No. 10 washtub.
Somewhere in between lies the traditional jack-o’-lantern size
that’s probably still the most popular.
But what about color? You can pick from the deep burnt orange of
a “Magic Lantern” to the light orange of an “Old
Zeb’s.” If you’re thinking jack-o’-lantern, staying in the 8-
to 20-pound range might be wise.
“Mini” is a relative term, as many people consider anything under
5 pounds to be miniature. However, true minis weigh probably a
pound or less.
“Gold Dust” and “Jack-Be-Little” are just two of
the mini choices in orange. “Cannonball,” “Ironman”
and “Li’l Ironsides” can get you into the 2- to 5-pound
range. If you’re going for girth, “Prizewinner” is a
favorite orange pumpkin with a mixture of size with pleasing
shape and color.
More
OK, so what about these other colors?
Well, white has been around for quite sometime. The traditional
“Lumina” variety is the standard that goes 5 to 12 pounds.
“Cotton Candy” is another of similar size. If you’re
looking for a mini, “Baby Boo” is the ticket. This year
for the first time, you can even go on the giant end. One of the
newest pumpkins on the market is “Full Moon,” a
white-skinned variety that can easily top 80 pounds.
But did you say blue?
Yes, indeed. “Jarrahdale” is a grayish blue pumpkin that’s
deeply ribbed and somewhat flat. Despite its unique outside
color, it’s just as orange as any jack-o’-lantern on the inside.
Most of the white varieties are orange on the inside, too.
Many others are out there.
“Li’l Pump-Ke-Mon” and “Hooligan” are striped minis
that are quite attractive.
“Fairytale” and “Cinderella” are flat, scalloped
varieties with glossy skin in buckskin and deep orange.
“Red Eye” is just that, almost red. It has veins of white
running through the red background.
“One Too Many” is just the opposite color scheme.
So, whatever your taste, there’s a pumpkin for you in the patch.
Look around for some of these. Your display could be the
conversation piece of the community.
(Terry Kelley is a Cooperative Extension horticulturist with
the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.)
