I grow around 60 varieties of pumpkins and winter squash.  Why so many kinds?  So I can have blue, pink, white, tan, green, flat, upright, round, big, small, etc.  I love having pumpkins of all shapes and colors.

One kind of pumpkin I grow is pie pumpkins.  They have less water (a dryer flesh), less strings, and a higher sugar content.  Mini pumpkins are the cute baseball sized or flat ones that fit in the palm of your hand.

I don’t grow giant giant pumpkins because of the amount of work needed to get them to grow.  It’s almost a part job to get them to a ton.  It takes ton of watering, fertilizing and examining the vine and pumpkin to get a giant giant.  I don’t have the patience to grow a one ton pumpkin.

My favorite website for pumpkin information is Pumpkin Nook.  One question I get asked a lot is will my pumpkin last til halloween?  Yes, if you follow some simple steps from Pumpkin Nook:

• As a rule of thumb, pumpkins can normally be stored for 30 – 90 days.
• For long term storage, wash the pumpkins in a very mild chlorine solution. Use one cup (8 ounces) of chlorine to one gallon of water. This will destroy bacterias which may cause the fruit to rot.
• Allow the pumpkin to dry completely.
• Store the pumpkin in a cool, dry and dark place(if possible)
• Avoid hot and humid places, even if storing for only a couple of weeks.
• Pumpkins are best stored on a board or piece of cardboard.
• Do not store the fruit on a cement floor, as they tend to rot.
• Do not store the fruit on a good rug in case it was to rot, as it would ruin the rug.

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