Source: NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES, 10/9/20


It’s the time of year when folks flock to pumpkin patches, farmers markets and roadside stands in search of natural decorations for  their porches and homes. And there’s an assortment of pumpkins to choose from, some of which trace their roots back to ongoing research at NC State.

Travis Birdsell, NC Cooperative Extension County Director and Extension Agent in Ashe County, and Jonathan Schultheis, a professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticultural Science, have been working together on pumpkin variety testing at the Mountain Research and Upper Mountain Research Stations in western North Carolina since October 2013. 

“We’ve looked at a number of different new varieties because there’s been an evolution in pumpkins where the weirder the better for consumers, or that’s becoming more of a segment in the market,” Schultheis explains. “But your traditional jack-o’-lantern types certainly have the bulk of the market.” 

Schultheis says about 80% to 90% of the market is traditional orange pumpkins while the other 10% to 20% is specialty pumpkins, or pumpkins marketed as heirloom varieties. And over the past couple of years, Birdsell and Schultheis say there’s been more breeding of these specialty varieties. 

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