Pumpkins are an icon of the autumn holidays. From jack-o-lanterns at Halloween to pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving, it’s hard to imagine a fall without them. Growing them can be a fun and fascinating experience, especially for children anxious to carve and decorate. 

Pumpkins are also a popular fall front porch decoration, especially here in the South. We love to mix them in with mums and ornamental kale to create the perfect planter arrangement. The orange ones are lovely, and I don’t want to disparage these classics in the least. But why not grow some fun pumpkin varieties this year?

June is the month to plant your pumpkin seeds if you want them ready for Halloween, so it’s a bit late once October rolls around. However, you can always order those seeds to have them on hand for next summer.

Here are some of the most fun pumpkins to grow at home. 

‘Black Kat’

Dark skins hold color long after harvest.

‘Black Kat’ is a modern variety with deep black skin. It’s compact and decorative, which makes it fun for decoration, but not necessarily for carving.

It’s lovely for adding to your porch decor, your dining tables, and in combination with other interesting cultivars. Their color and size make them fun pumpkins to grow with kids, as they’re easy to handle.

These cuties grow to about one or two pounds. Their rind is exceptionally dark (nearly black), and the color holds well after harvesting. They’re nicely shaped, smooth, and round with shallow ribbing. These take about 80 days to mature from seeds. Their small size makes them ideal for growing in a raised bed garden. 

‘Galeux d’Eysines’

Pumpkins add rustic flair to any porch display.

This variety may look a bit rumpled and creepy, but it has an illustrious reputation for being one of the tastiest around. ‘Galeux d’Eysines’ is a striking pumpkin that comes from France, originally. It’s one of the most recognizable cultivars, as well. It’s ready to harvest in 90 to 100 days from the time of planting. 

‘Galeux d’Eysines’ has peach-colored skin that’s covered with warts that have a corky appearance. These warts are the result of sugars in the pumpkin seeping through the skin. The flesh is deep orange and dense with a wonderfully sweet flavor that makes it popular with chefs.

It’s also a fun pumpkin to grow for porch arrangements. Grow this pumpkin if you want to cook like a fine French chef!

‘Red Warty Thing’

Warty texture reveals where natural sugars have concentrated.

The name says it all. ‘Red Warty Thing’ looks exactly as it sounds. A large cultivar, it has bright reddish-orange skin and is covered in thick, knobby warts. As with ‘Galeux d’Eysines’, these warts are the result of extra sugar in the pumpkin, which means the flesh is extra sweet. 

This is a hybrid between a pumpkin and a Hubbard squash, so it has characteristics of both. They grow large, maturing to 10 to 25 pounds, and have a slightly oblong shape. The flesh is deep orange to match the unique skin, and dense with a sweetness that makes it perfect for pies. 

‘Super Freak Knucklehead’

Knobby texture turns any porch into festive chaos.

This wild and wacky pumpkin is bred specifically for its fun warty skin and bright colors. It’s a classic orange pumpkin, but it’s covered in warts that range in color from orange to deep green.

This is one of the fun pumpkins to grow for a spooky vibe that goes great with your Halloween decor. Grow this one if you want a combination of unusual color and warts together. 

Although the warts are still a result of sugars, ‘Super Freak Knucklehead’ is mainly an ornamental variety. Few gardeners grow this one for culinary purposes. It’s not as sweet, smooth, and flavorful as the other warty cultivars. They’re fun to look at, though, and great for decorating with. 

‘Casper’

A thick, bright interior makes soups and pies perfect.

‘Casper’ looks like a vampire got hold of it and drained out all the color. While there are quite a few varieties of white pumpkin you can grow, this one is a standout. It’s not just a fun and decorative cultivar. It’s good for eating, too. 

These smooth, ivory squash are medium to large-sized, weighing between 10 and 20 pounds. Beneath that pale skin is thick, bright orange flesh. It’s fine-grained, sweet, and ideal for making soups and pies.

These take a little longer to mature, about 90 to 115 days. Plant for that in terms of planting time. 

‘Cinderella’s Carriage’

The flattened top and bottom make it uniquely whimsical.

‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ is a French heirloom pumpkin bred to look like the one Cinderella’s fairy godmother performed her magic on. It has a bold, squat appearance that looks right out of a fairytale storybook.

The deep orange skin is heavily ribbed, with a flattened top and bottom. These are fun pumpkins to grow with kids who love the story.

These fun pumpkins are medium to large in size and take about 100 days to mature. Their thick, orange flesh has a smooth sweetness that makes it good for cooking with. However, it’s usually grown as an ornamental variety. If you decide not to eat your pumpkins, they make a great addition to the compost pile.

‘Black Futsu’

Nearly black skin softens to warm peach tones.

I’m a big fan of the ‘Black Futsu’ pumpkin. In spite of its name, it’s not actually black (at least, not when it’s ripe). This deeply ribbed, warty cultivar starts out green and matures to nearly black. As it cures, it changes color again, this time to a peachy color with gray overtones. It almost looks like it’s covered in a fine layer of ash. 

So, what do gardeners usually grow this one for? It’s dual purpose. Its unique and fun appearance makes it an excellent ornamental variety.

Where it truly shines is in the kitchen. ‘Black Futsu’ has deep, orange, dense flesh that has a sweet, nutty, delicious flavor. It’s perfect for soups and pies, and delicious roasted, sauteed, or braised. 

‘Blue Doll’

The deeply ribbed shape gives character and quirky appeal.

‘Blue Doll’ is a special hybrid cultivar to grow, with smooth, grayish-blue skin. It has a blocky, deeply ribbed shape that I think looks like the head of Frankenstein’s monster!

This is a large variety. It can reach up to 24 pounds when mature, which takes about 100 days. The dusky color makes this one a fun pumpkin to grow in the goth garden. It looks almost gray and desaturated. 

This is another fun, dual-purpose variety. It’s an incredibly decorative and striking addition to your porch display. It also has deep orange flesh that’s sweet and great for baking into pies, making soups, and general culinary use. It also stores for an extra long time. 

‘One Too Many’

The medium-large size makes it impressive on any porch.

‘One Too Many’ is another fun pumpkin to grow, even among these unusual varieties. It’s a white or cream colored pumpkin that is webbed with reddish-orange striping. This gives it a marbled or veined look.