Varieties of Pumpkins and Jack O'Lanterns

Endless Varieties of Pumpkins

Everyone loves pumpkins. With literally hundreds of varieties of pumpkins to choose from, there’s a favorite pumpkin variety or two for us all. We are blessed with lots of varieties, because pumpkins, members of the Cucurbita family, are notorious cross breeders. They readily cross breed with some varieties of squash, too. And, the cute little miniature varieties, which are actually gourds, show crossbreeding characteristics bringing us a plethora of interesting colors shapes, and sizes. While gardeners are fortunate to have all of these varieties to choose from and grow in the pumpkin patch finding pumpkin seeds for the variety you choose may or may not be a challenge. For uncommon varieties of pumpkins, we suggest you do an online search. Find pumpkin seeds.

Did you Know? A pumpkin is a pumpkin until it is carved. Then, it is a Jack O’Lantern. See more on Pumpkin Carving

While there are hundreds of varieties of pumpkins, most seed companies offer just a handful of varieties. It may take quite a search to find the more uncommon and rare varieties. Sometimes fellow gardeners save the seeds of unique varieties from year to year.

Listed below are some of the pumpkin varieties we have found:

Miniature Varieties of Pumpkins

Variety:	Color:	Description:

Baby Boo	Off White	Cute, miniature, white pumpkins. It will make your Halloween even spookier!


Jack B. Little (JBL)	Orange	This little pumpkin fits in the palm of your hand. The fruit is orange with deep ribs. While it is tiny, it has a HUGE presence for fall decorating.

Note: Jack B. Little is the most popular variety found in the pumpkin patch. It is the best known of the miniature varieties.

Small to Medium Sized Pumpkin Varieties

Variety:	Color:	Description:
Autumn Gold	Golden Orange	Early to ripen, thick orange flesh. Good for baking. 7-10 pounds.
Casper	Off White	Flesh is very hard. Certain to be a standout attraction in the pumpkin patch, and in Fall and Halloween displays.

Fairy Tale	Orange-ish Tan	A unique and popular French “cheese” pumpkin. Deeply lobed shape. Fine-grained flesh is delicious in your favorite recipe. Long keeper. 15-18 pound average.
Jaradale	Greyish Blue	Australian pumpkin cross between Blue Hubbard and Cinderella. Deep ribs, thick orange flesh. Good for cooking.


Spooktacular	Orange	Small fruits are good for little tykes. At about 85 days, they are ready to harvest earlier than others.
Wee Be Little	Orange	Just 3 inches in diameter, round grows to about a pound. Great for carving or painting. They are tasty, too!

Large Field Pumpkin Varieties

Variety:	Color:	Description:
Appalachian F1	Dark Orange	Semi-bush variety. High yield, excellent handles.
Aspen F1	Deep, Rich Orange	Large, attractive fruit medium ribs and with good handles. 18-20 pounds.
Big Autumn	Orange	Attractive for displays or carving. Good for baking, too. Autumn Gold’s big brother at 12-16 pounds.
Cinderella	Reddish Orange	This is a very popular French heirloom variety. The fruit is flattened and deeply ribbed. It almost looks like a cheese wheel. 25 – 35 pound fruit, which is both beautiful and tasty.
Connecticut Field	Bright Orange	Traditional pumpkin color with ribbed rind, and deep yellow, coarse flesh. Great for carving or canning. 15 to 25 pounds. A home garden favorite.
Ghost Rider	Dark Orange	Round ribs rind and dark green stem, with yellow-orange flesh. 15-30 pounds.
Gold Rush	Bright Orange	Shiny, ribbed skin, 4 inch long handles, thick and heavy flesh. 20-35 pounds.
Harvest Jack F1	Dark Orange	Easy to grow, high yielding variety, averages 25-30 pounds. Long handledLong-handled fruit makes great, large Jack O’Lanterns.
Howden	Orange	It makes a good carving pumpkin. Big, strong stem. 20-30 pounds.
Howden Biggie	Orange	Big pumpkin, thick stem.
Jack of All Trades F1	Bright Orange	Makes a great Jack O’Lantern. Early to mature fruit with shallow ribs is attractive with a strong green handle. 15-25 pounds.
Jack O’Lantern	Bright Orange	Simply named, this is the common pumpkin grown for carving. Ribbed shell.
Jalhrude / Australian Blue	Greenish Blue	Here’s a unique conversation piece pumpkin. This pumpkin is deeply ribbed.
Jumpin Jack	Deep Golden Orange	Very large, well-handled fruit. Pumpkins are taller than wide.
Rouge D’Etant	Reddish Orange	This small-sized, interestingly attractive color.

Cooking/Pie Pumpkin Varieties

Variety:	Color:	Description:
Amish Pie	Dull Orange	This is a popular and tasty heirloom, great for baking pies and other recipes. Flat-ish, ribbed fruit.
Baby Bear	Deep Orange	All America Selection Winner. 1-2 pounds, slightly flat fruits. Good for baking.
Happy Jack	Dark Orange	Best for baking and canning. 16-22 pounds.



Sweet Sugar Pie	Orange	Small, round 5-7 pound fruit. Sets the standard for baking and cooking. As its name implies, its pulp is sweet.

Varieties of Giant Pumpkins

You’ll need a big pumpkin patch to grow these monsters. But it’s both a challenge and rewarding.

Variety:	Color:	Description:
Big Max	Orange-Red	Soft skinned, good shape. 30-50 pounds.
Big Moon	Orange	Great for the show, round with good color. 50-200 pounds.
Dill’s Atlantic Giant Pumpkins	Light, dull Orange	The Grandaddy of them all. Grow for record-breaking size. Fruit is often flat-ish, rarely round.
Mammoth Gold	Golden Orange	Heirloom, more orange than gold. Nearly round, ribbed fruit, Thick, pale orange flesh. 40-60 pounds.
Prizewinner	Orange	Excellent shape, much oranger than Atlantic Giant. 50-200 pounds.
Show Winner	White	Impressive giant fruit has a good, round shape.
Giant Squash	Pale Green White	Competition fruit similar to Atlantic Giant pumpkin, but no orange color. Up to 1,000 pounds or more.
Wyatt’s Wonder	Deep Orange	Great color, good shape. 100-200 pounds.

Garden Tip: Soak these big pumpkin seeds before planting

Also, see:

Novelty Varieties

These varieties will look good growing in the pumpkin patch. And they will be a conversation piece when used for fall decorating.




Fairy Tale	Bright Orange	Heirloom pumpkin is perfect for baking. Unique, deeply ribbed shape.




Peanut	Orange with brown bumps his	This truly unique pumpkin is pink with beige bumps, resembling peanuts covering its surface.

Pumpkin on a Stick	Deep reddish orange	A truly fascinating plant. An eggplant,orange is quite novel. Use it to WOW fellow gardeners and passersby. Great for fall craft projects, and floral arrangements.
Red Warty	Red Orange	This lumpy pumpkin will make your weird and eerie Halloween display stand out. Weighs up to 20 pounds. Use it in a wide range of Fall and Halloween decorating. It’s also an excellent eating pumpkin with sweet, stringless flesh.