Extension Notebook: Pumpkins, gourds, and squash, oh my!

This time of year, neighborhood front porches come alive with festive autumn decorations, often featuring vibrant displays of pumpkins, gourds, and squash freshly gathered from nearby farm fields. All members of the Cucurbitaceae or cucurbit family, along with cucumbers and melons, pumpkins, gourds, and squash are multifunctional fruits in the fall, used often as both flavorful food and natural art and decor. These vining plants are planted in the spring and grow large leaves and long, sprawling vines easily reaching 20 to 30 feet throughout the summer. After the flowers are pollinated by various species of bees, small green fruit develops on the vine, slowly maturing into a unique and vibrant fruit in the fall.

Cucurbit tidbits:

• Pumpkins are 90% water and contain hundreds of seeds inside the fruit. Pumpkins thrive in hot, dry weather, but when actively growing in the summer, they need at least one inch of water per week for good fruit development. The high water content makes pumpkins a delectable, low-calorie food. Pumpkin seeds can be harvested from the inside of pumpkins when carving and later roasted in an oven for a nutritious crunchy treat.

• Turnips, beets, and potatoes were first used as jack o’ lanterns to scare away evil spirits. Today, we use the large, classic orange pumpkin to carve intricate designs for a glowing nighttime display. While these pumpkins are perfect for carving, they do not make good baking or pie pumpkins; instead, choose a buckskin pumpkin with sweet, orange flesh just like pumpkin canneries use.

• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 2,819 pounds, which two brothers from England proudly grew for a new world record this year. If growing one of these massive fruits is on your bucket list, beware that they do take meticulous planning and care. These jumbo varieties, which require around 120 days to mature, are often started indoors before spring temperatures are warm enough to plant outside.

• Gourds are hard-shelled fruits that are not edible. Once used as utensils, musical instruments, toys, and storage containers, they are now popular painted crafts, birdhouses, and ornamental decorations for fall. Luffa gourds are truly unique and multiuse fruits, and once dried, the outer shell is removed, revealing a fibrous material that is often used as a natural sponge.

• Squash is categorized as either summer or winter. Summer squash, like zucchini, is harvested throughout the summer as young fruit. Winter squash is harvested in the fall and is typically grown for winter storage. Depending on the variety of winter squash, they can be stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated space for anywhere from a month to six months. Winter squash adds a rich flavor to hearty autumnal recipes including soups, baked casseroles, and baked goods.

• Crops in the Cucurbitaceae family can cross-pollinate with each other, resulting in a unique harvest of fruits next year if the seeds are allowed to grow. Some may consider the fruits deformed or unsightly, while others will find it a fun autumnal experiment to see what new monstrosity they grow. If you want true-to-type pumpkins, gourds, or squash, it’s best to buy new seeds every year. Garden centers and seed companies have a plethora of old and new varieties each year to choose from. Plan carefully, though, as cucurbits are notorious for taking over a garden. But their uniqueness and flavor make it well worth the space.

Brittnay Haag is a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator serving Livingston, McLean and Woodford counties.