Pumpkins: Choosing the Best Varieties

The popularity of U Pick and Farm Stand Pumpkin Patches continues to increase. To help you capitalize on this sales opportunity, we’ve outlined suggestions to help you meet this demand.

Offer a diverse selection of types and sizes

• Choose a wide range of sizes for carving pumpkins from small (Mystic Plus), to medium (Eros), to large (Spartacus), to extra-large (Large Marge).

• Offer a variety of types by growing ornamentals:

  • Troll, Sunlight, and Knucklehead

• Pair the above with decorative minis:

  • Jill Be Little, Spark, Wee B Little, and Baby Boo.

• Grow a mixture of Orna-Edibles. These varieties have the benefit of being both decorative and edible. Examples include:

  • Pie pumpkins, Bisbee Gold, Fall Splendor Plus, and Winter Luxury

• Hulless seeded: Naked Bear

• Colorful and unique winter squash:

  • Autumn Frost, Triamble and Goldilocks, and the mini trio: Orangita, Midnight, and Casperita.

Ensure a great harvest

• Grow varieties that offer disease resistances such as Powdery Mildew (PM) to ensure greener leaves, healthier crops, and optimal fruit maturity.

• Use the days to maturity (DTM) to determine the best options for planting time and method (direct seeding or transplant).

• Select varieties such as Jason, Falcon, and Death Star with firm, well-attached handles.

create an inviting display

• Help your customers visualize their options by showcasing different displays using both ornamental and Orna-Edible varieties.

• Pair unique sizes, textures, and colors together:

  • Grizzly Bear and Hot Chocolate

  • Bad Jelly and Mellow Yellow

  • Blaze and Dark Night.

• Create tall stacks

  • Use the largest varieties on the bottom:

    • Ritz, Porcelain Doll, Blue Doll, Indian Doll

  • Medium-sized varieties throughout the stack:

    • Moon Stacker, Mint Prince, Jester, Silver Moon, Jade Knight)

  • Topped off by smaller varieties:

    • Blaze, Orangita, Casperita, Gold Speck).

• Take the guesswork out of decorating and offer your customers collections of unique stacks or mixed baskets of table toppers for purchase.

Consider adding other crops like gourds, pop and ornamental corn, and cut flowers for additional diversity.