Picking the Perfect Pumpkin
Going to the pumpkin patch is the perfect fall tradition! Whether you’re going to keep a pumpkin on your porch, or carve it into a Jack-o-lantern, you should probably know your pumpkins to have the best outcome. Here are some popular pumpkin types to suit your pumpkin picking and growing needs.
Styrian Pumpkins
Are you not a fan of pumpkin carving, but love the seeds? Styrian pumpkins are not generally the best pumpkin for carving, however their seeds are practically made for eating. They are often processed for their oil, however they do make nicely for cooking. This aspect can be applied from anywhere to roasting the seeds for a fall topping or using the oil for cooking a traditional dish. This pumpkin is quite small weighing in at around 10 pounds, making it easy to carry straight to your kitchen!
Connecticut Field Pumpkins
This pumpkin is known for one of its more famous alter egos, the jack-o-lantern, although it doesn’t completely own the stage. The pumpkin’s smooth skin and flat bottom make it perfect for your carving desires. These pumpkins are not as great for recipes, unlike the Styrian, due to a very stringy pulp (there is nothing to stop you from making delicious foods) , however are great for growing. Seeds are cheap and pumpkins do not necessarily need much attention in your garden. Fun Fact : Connecticut pumpkins require such little effort to produce, they make great hog and cattle feed!
Lumina Pumpkins
Let me guess, you’re only here for the fall aesthetic. I’ve got just the pumpkin! Lumina Pumpkins are round, smooth, and hard, not to mention white. These pumpkins are just begging to be sat on your porch! Say you want to step up your game and bake something for Thanksgiving this year. No problem! Since you should definitely not eat your pumpkin raw, these are great for most cooking and baking applications. These can be used in the same way as our friends the Connecticut field that make up a common Jack-o-lantern, but with a milder flavor.
Giant Pumpkin
Want to have the biggest pumpkin on the block? Since this pumpkin has many modern names, such as the winter squash, autumn squash, and the great pumpkin, we’re just going to call it the giant pumpkin. This pumpkin can be traced back to North America, specifically to Henry David Thoreau. Back in the mid 1800s, Thoreau grew a pumpkin weighing 123 pounds, and wrote about it in his book, Wild Fruits . These pumpkins can grow to be huge, gaining up to 50 pounds in a day. Around 94% of the weight these pumpkins gain is just water! That’s a higher percentage than the average human body! These pumpkins are hard to move, due to the fact that, well, it’s a 100 pound pumpkin.
Happy pumpkin picking!
“Search Results for Pumpkin Types | Search | Gardening Know How.” Gardening Know How, 2025, www.gardeningknowhow.com/search?searchTerm=Pumpkin+types. Accessed 18 Sept. 2025.
“Giant Pumpkin Facts for Kids.” Kiddle.co, 2021, kids.kiddle.co/Giant_pumpkin. Accessed 18 Sept. 2025.
