11/15/1995

Pumpkins Aren't Just For Halloween Anymore

AUBURN, Ala. - Now that Halloween has come and gone, it would appear that the Great Pumpkin also has vanished for another year. However, an Auburn University researcher is proving that pumpkins can be great decorative items all the way through Thanksgiving and may also be a great new crop idea for Alabama fruit and vegetable producers.

Eric Simonne, a post-doctoral research fellow at Auburn, has been testing new pumpkin varieties at research farms across the state. Results of his studies, which are sponsored by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station System (AAESS), suggest that Alabama has the potential to produce traditional Halloween pumpkins and the novelty pumpkins that are poplar decorations throughout the fall season.

Simonne, who conducts variety trials on many types of vegetables, is always on the lookout for new crop ideas. Pumpkins, which already are being grown in parts of North Alabama, are one such option if appropriate varieties can be identified for producers. The focus of Simonne's research was to find out which pumpkins could be produced in different areas of the state.

"People used to think that pumpkins could only be grown in North Alabama because it is too hot and we have disease problems in southern parts of the state," said Simonne. To learn more about the geographical limits of pumpkin production in Alabama, Simonne established pumpkin trials in five locations.

The trials were conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Substation in Cullman, the E.V. Smith Research Center Horticulture Unit in Shorter, the Sand Mountain Substation in Crossville, the Chilton Area Horticulture Substation in Clanton and the Wiregrass Substation in Headland, all outlying research units of the AAESS. A total of 25 different varieties were tested, many of which look nothing like a traditional pumpkin.

Though data collected from these trials have not been fully analyzed, Simonne said preliminary results suggest that pumpkins can be grown as far south as the Wiregrass region of Alabama if they are properly managed.

According to Simonne, pumpkins, gourds and squash all are in the same botanical family and cultural practices for pumpkins are very similar to methods used for squash production. This suggests that pumpkins could fit easily into existing production practices. What's more, some of the diseases that make squash unmarketable actually enhance the aesthetic value of pumpkins. "For most crops viruses are a problem because they leave that green trail in the vegetable's skin," he said. "On pumpkins, that green trail provides natural, unique coloring to pumpkins."

Among the varieties Simonne tested are conventional Jack-o-lantern types, which grow to be 10-25 pounds, and several novelty pumpkin varieties. These novelty pumpkins include an albino variety with white skin, a reddish pumpkin that has a flattened shape and small, multi-colored pumpkins that Simonne describes as "desk-top" and "pocket" pumpkins.

While large pumpkins are popular for Halloween, the novelty pumpkins often are used throughout the fall. The size of a pumpkin, said Simonne, is determined by its genus and species, not necessarily by the care and feeding provided to a pumpkin as it grows. And for Alabama, a "great" pumpkin may actually be a small, multi-colored variety. "Most people don't want to put a 20-pound pumpkin on their desk or coffee table, but there are many small varieties that can be used in decorative arrangements," he said.

One reason pumpkins are popular decorative items is that they last a long time unless they have been cut or their skin has been damaged. And, while few of the pumpkins Simonne is testing are traditional eating varieties, creative cooks may find ways to make these pumpkins appealing to the eye and the palate. In fact, Simonne's wife, Amy, a nutrition researcher at Auburn, made pumpkin pudding from one of the novelty varieties and said the result was delicious. Roasted pumpkins seeds also are popular snacks.

Simonne noted that more research needs to be done on varieties and production methods, but it is possible that people seeking great pumpkins may be looking more and more in Alabama fields.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact Katie Jackson, 334-844-5886 or smithcl@auburn.edu

November 15, 1995