When we think of pumpkin colors, orange first comes to mind. Certainly orange is the traditional, most popular color.
However, they come in many other colors, too. You can find pumpkins that are green, yellow, red, white, blue, even tan. As a result, pumpkin lovers like you and me have lots of variety to choose from.
What’s your favorite pumpkin color?
Pictured above are the typical bright orange Jack O’Lanterns that you and I think about when we think of pumpkins. When we go out to a pumpkin farm, most of us seek orange pumpkins to turn into front porch Jack O’Lanterns.
There are over two hundred varieties of orange pumpkins. This wide variety offers you the choice of size, shape, color, hue, deepness of the ribs, and more. For example, some varieties are deeply ribbed, while others have ribs that barely show.
What characteristics are your favorites?
When a pumpkin is unripe, it is green. Out in the field, sunshine and warmth ripens it into an orange color.
Sometimes, at the end of the growing season, the fruit is still green. Many people see this as an ugly duckling. With warm weather and a little luck, it may ripen in time for Halloween. If it doesn’t turn orange, then carve it for Halloween anyways. Place a lit candle in it on Halloween night. It will glow as brightly as an orange pumpkin. Maybe more!
Also see: Ripening green pumpkins.
An unripe, giant pumpkin begins life a bright yellow color. As it grows, it gradually turns a pale yellow and finally turns some shade of orange. It is usually a light orange shade when ripe. However, some of them turn as deeply orange as any regular field pumpkin.
There is also a variety that ripens to yellow.
Pictured above is a somewhat uncommon white pumpkin. There are both Jack O’Lantern and miniature white pumpkin varieties. Casper and Baby Boo are the most common varieties. They are a really novel pumpkin to place on your front porch, and draw the attention of neighbors and passersby.
If you want really a rare pumpkin, try growing a Blue Pumpkin. They are often referred to as Australian Blue Pumpkins, or Jaradale.
More closely resembling a Turban squash than a true pumpkin, they are smaller and flatter than a Jack O’Lantern, with a bluish-grey color. If you display one of these in your Fall or Halloween display, it will surely be noticed. People who see them love their uniqueness.
Yes, there truly are red pumpkins. And, they really stand out wherever you display them.
In the picture above, the red pumpkin is front and center. The best known, yet hard to find variety, is “Rouge D’Etant”. There is also a red variety called “Cinderella”.
Tan pumpkins are the kind that commercial food processors use when making canned pumpkin. Some say it is really a squash.
We are not aware of any home gardeners who grow them. Also, we have not seen a source for these seeds.
Sorry, we have no picture…..yet.
Yes, you can even find a black pumpkin. Actually, it has a greenish or greyish hue. But, it is a black pumpkin that fit into many eerie and spooky Halloween settings.
Sorry, we have no picture…..yet.
In addition to all of the colors and variations of colors described above, there are striped and multi-colored fruits. The Red warty and Peanut pumpkins come to mind. Some of these take on an exotic character that really stand out among your Fall decorations.
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