What Exactly is a Pumpkin?

Botanical Description of a Pumpkin:

Pumpkins are annuals and are related to such common crops as cucumbers, gourds and winter squashes, which come from the genus Cucurbita. This is a genus that grows typically on vines. Pumpkins prefer warm temperatures above 70 degrees during the day and no lower than 60 degrees at night. Pumpkins typically mature and give fruit within 90 to 120 days of being planted.

There are actually four species of Cucurbita found in North America, which can be distinguished through differences in their stems. The species that includes typical Jack O’Lantern style pumpkins, Cucurbita pepo, also includes Acorn Squash, Scallop Summer Squash, Crookneck squash, and spaghetti squashes. Cucurbita maxima includes many of the yellow winter squashes, and yellowish-tinted pumpkins. Examples of Cucurbita maxima include Big Max Pumpkin, Buttercup Squash, Turban Squash, and Mammoth. Some of the largest pumpkins are found in this species. Pumpkins found within Cucurbita moshata are mostly associated with canning pumpkins. Many winter squashes are from this species as well, such as Butternut and Winter Crookneck squash. Cucurbita mixta is often considered a subgroup of Cucurbita moshata and is used as a processing squash.

Pumpkins can also be described by how they grow. There are vining pumpkins, semi-bush pumpkins, bush pumpkins, and miniature pumpkins.

This site from Purdue University has tons of information on pumpkins plus growing tips.

Recommended Varieties of Pumpkins:

There are lots of options out there for the pumpkin gardener. You can focus on growing giant pumpkins, pumpkins that are known for their flavor, or you can grow a big crop of Jack O’Lantern style pumpkins for Halloween. There are also miniature pumpkins that make excellent ornaments for both Thanksgiving and Halloween. You can even try your hand at growing one of the unusual varieties of pumpkins such as a red, white or blue pumpkin!

Some of the largest varieties of pumpkins for the home garden include Big Max, Big Moon PVP, Prizewinner, Atlantic Giant, Gold Rush PVP, Jumpin’ Jack and Mammoth Gold. These pumpkins may grow to be over 100 pounds!

If you’re looking to grow pumpkins for baking or cooking, you might want to try a few of the following varieties: Peek a Boo, Sugar Treat, Dickinson Field, Baby Pam, Triple Treat, Kentucky Field, Buckskin (a hybrid), and Chelsey (also a hybrid). The reason that these kinds of pumpkins are good for cooking is because they are meatier and have less stringy fibers than carving pumpkins. These pumpkins also have a better flavor and are smaller than carving pumpkins.

Pumpkins that are suitable for Jack O’Lanterns come in a variety of sizes. Small pumpkin varieties (around 5 pounds) for carving include Winter Luxury, Spooktacular, Trickster, Sugar Treat, Baby Bear, Spookie, and Triple Treat. For medium to large pumpkins up to 25 pounds, try Autumn Gold, Frosty, Jack-o-Lantern, Harvest Moon, Aspen, Howden Field (one of the most popular), Trick or Treat, or Connecticut Field. Connecticut Field is a variety that also makes a good canning pumpkin. Trick or Treat, and Winter Luxury are nice varieties for both decorating and for cooking. Connecticut Field, Spirit Hybrid and Autumn Gold are great pumpkins with deep orange color that can be used for carving and pumpkin pies.

Miniature pumpkins are a wonderful way to grow pumpkins that won’t take up too much space. These pumpkins are suitable for decorative purposes throughout the fall. Try out Baby Bear, Jack-Be-Little, Munchkin, Sweetie Pie, and Jack-Be-Quick. Baby Boo is a beautiful white miniature variety.

For the adventurous gardener, there are several varieties of unusual pumpkins. White pumpkins are quite popular and you can try out Lumina, White Ghost, Casper, or Snowball. Lumina has a unique flavor and is also a good carving pumpkin. If you’re looking for something more unusual, Red Warty and Cinderella pumpkins provide a reddish color and unusual texture. Both these varieties are good for cooking. Believe it or not, there is actually a blue pumpkin out there called Blue Lakota. It is a light blue/grey color. Other unusual varieties include the Japanese Pumpkin, or Kabocha, and the Lil Pump Ke Mon, which is a miniature white pumpkin with green and orange stripes.

See this site from the University of Illinois for more pumpkin varieties.

Curious Pumpkin Mating Habits:

Pumpkins produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. It’s interesting to note that the first flowers you see on your pumpkin are male, and bloom and die within a very short period of time. The male flowers serve to attract pollinators such as bees.

When the male flowers have died off, they are replaced by the female flowers. By the time the female flowers appear, pollinators know where to look for the blossoms and return with the male pollen to the female blossoms. To identify the male flowers, look at the base of the stems. If there is no bulging present at the flower base, they are the male blossoms.

Members of the genus Cucurbita can indeed cross-pollinate, but generally within the same species. For example, a Butternut and a Turban Squash could cross-pollinate as they are both from the species Cucurbita maxima. If you have several varieties of pumpkins from the same species, this cross-pollination will not produce unusual varieties during the same growing season. However, if you keep the seeds for planting next year, you might see some strange colors and shapes the next growing season.


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