Posted on 10/21/2023 7:00:47 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
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NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
6 Things You May Not Know About Pumpkins
In the United States, pumpkins go hand in hand with the fall holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. Harvested in October, this nutritious and versatile orange fruit features flowers, seeds and flesh that are edible and rich in vitamins. Pumpkin is used to make soups, desserts and breads, and many Americans include pumpkin pie in their Thanksgiving meals.
Carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is a popular Halloween tradition that originated hundreds of years ago in Ireland. Back then, however, jack-o’-lanterns were made out of turnips or potatoes; it wasn’t until Irish immigrants arrived in America and discovered the pumpkin that a new Halloween ritual was born. Now pumpkins are commonly placed on stoops in the falls months, and get carved ahead of Halloween night.
Here are six things you may not know about them.
1. From Central America to Global Gardens
Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini. These plants are native to Central America and Mexico, but now grow on six continents—all but Antarctica.
2. Pioneer Crop
Indigenous North Americans have grown pumpkins for thousands of years—even before the cultivation of beans and corn.
3. The Etymology of a Gourd
The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word Pepõn, which means large melon. It was then nasalized by the French into “pompo”, which the English changed “pompon” to “Pumpion,” and so on until American settlers arrived at the word we use today.
4. Illinois: Pumpkin Capital
According to the 2017 U.S. Agriculture Census, Illinois is the largest producer of pumpkins in the United States. It harvests twice as many pumpkin acres as any of the other top-producing states.
5. Record-Breaking Gourds
The heaviest pumpkin was grown in Belgium in 2016 and weighed a whopping 2,624 pounds. The heaviest pumpkin in the U.S. was grown in New Hampshire in 2018 and weighed 2,528 pounds. The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in Ohio in 2010. It weighed 3,699 pounds and was over 20 feet in diameter.
6. Timely Planting, Yearly Harvest
Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.
https://www.history.com/news/pumpkin-facts-halloween-jack-o-lantern
Identifying and Choosing the Best Types of Pumpkins
People are getting picky about their pumpkins, and that bin of dusty orange ones at the local market may not produce the perfect specimen to display on the porch or front steps. You’ve seen the white ones, the green ones, the tall ones, and squat ones, but what are their names and varieties? And if you need the perfect pumpkin for carving or cooking, which type should you choose, and how do you pick a good pumpkin? Starting with some basics and learning about the different categories of pumpkins will give you all you need to know to make the right choice.
Pumpkin Terms
Skin: This is the outside, colored part of the pumpkin.
Flesh: The stuff inside, used for cooking, is the flesh.
Carvability: Is the pumpkin fairly easy to carve with a knife or pumpkin-carving kit? If not, it’s probably more suited for painting or just leaving alone.
Shape: Pumpkins aren’t just round. They can be squat, tall, long, uneven, etc.
Texture: Glide your fingers across the pumpkin’s skin. Is it bumpy, slightly rough, or smooth as a baby’s bottom? That’s the pumpkin’s texture.
Ribbing: If you were drawing a pumpkin, the ribbing would be those vertical stripes you create to indicate that it is a pumpkin and not some other round object.
Size: Pretty straightforward—big, small, miniature, medium. Size is sometimes indicated in weight.
Keeps well/poorly: This describes a pumpkin’s “shelf life” or if it has a tendency to last a few months (uncarved) or quickly wither off the vine.
More at link with variety pictures and descriptions:
https://www.thespruce.com/guide-to-best-types-of-pumpkins-4092354
14 Types of Pumpkins You’ll See This Fall
Learn which types of pumpkins are best for decorating, cooking, and more this season.
https://www.marthastewart.com/2124321/pumpkin-varieties
You’ll look like a ‘Pumpkin Pro’ identifying pumpkins/squashes at the Fall Market! :)
That’s all very well, but how far can they be thrown, or shot from an air cannon?
Good morning...I love Fall & pumpkins...and the FR Gardening thread!
A pumpkin seed came in with some soil we used. I decided to care for it as it grew to 10 ft by 10ft by 3 ft tall. The grey diggers loved its blossoms, so I tried fighting them off, but it was I thought, a losing battle. (My hubs air gun helped a little). Anyway, the leaves were sooo huge, they hid a few little pumpkins that now are getting orange, but only about 8” in diameter.
That involves math. I don’t do math, LOL!
I ended up with eight lovely Butternut Squash in the compost bin this season! They’re almost ready to harvest. They’re probably the most well-fed squash ever grown! ;)
When I ordered seeds for the kids last year, there was a blue pumpkin in the catalog that was gorgeous & reportedly made for fine eating, too. I have looked up blue pumpkins & don’t see what I recall, nor can I remember who I got my seeds from! The pumpkin looked like a regular pumpkin, not heavily ribbed, not flattened out & was a light blue - really pretty.
Love it! A pumpkin wilderness! Great Picture!
Farmer friends of my father grew pumpkins every year. They had big stacks and used it to feed the hogs. Dad bought a bunch one year and we sold them in the front yard of the house, even got to keep some of the cash.
(She likes them!)
Qiviut, a nice display! Lit Pumpkins have that nice warm orange color in the autumn darkness.
Probably a Jarrahdale or a breed off of that variety?
https://www.homefortheharvest.com/jarrahdale-pumpkin/
Blue skinned pumpkins:
https://www.homefortheharvest.com/blue-pumpkins/
Not really math as such, just practical experimentation.
Definitely not Jarrahdale.
Silver moon looks closest.
As wisdom took over, he replaced the pumpkin crop with light weight basil plants.
Good job dad...and miss you.
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