Different types of pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, from globular behemoths and elongated gourds to noble baseballs and whimsical UFO discs. With neon orange flowers, shades of lime, cream and grey, and fun carnival stripes, there are plenty of career opportunities. If your pumpkin has never gone beyond the classic orange pumpkin, you may be surprised at how many types of pumpkin you can easily grow in your garden.
Squash (cucurbita) has been a popular household vegetable for centuries. There is evidence that the outer skins of winter varieties were used to make ancient bowls and cast irons. Pumpkin is one of the main crops used in the Three Sisters farming system (with sweet corn and beans) favored by North American tribes. They are widely known to be reliable, productive and rich in nutrients.
Knowing how to grow butternut squash is one key way to increase your vitamin A intake, and many varieties are rich in calcium, potassium and iron. And as we show here, pumpkin is incredibly versatile. These unforgettable, nutty garden dwellers fill the garden with a variety of textures and flowers, from smoky blue bushes to giant pink banana weeds.
While fall is traditionally the time to harvest many types of winter squash, it's also the perfect time to plan for next year's harvest. Choose the right mix of pumpkin crops and you can enjoy these whimsical cuts from late summer to mid-winter. Here are our top picks for your garden.
From pumpkins, acorns, apricots, fritters and dumplings to giant fairy pumpkins, you'll find that these pumpkins are some of the easiest vegetables to grow and are a lot of fun to experiment with in the garden.
The assortment includes varieties for summer and winter preparations, some of which can be stored for six months or even longer. Winter squashes take longer to develop this characteristic and often noticeable hard outer skin (100 days), while summer squashes mature more quickly (50 days), are often smaller in size and have a thin outer skin.
Whether you're making pies and soups or grilling with the kids, there's something for everyone's taste. What will you try first?
Janey Golding
