Grow your own: why not try white or warty pumpkins?
If you want to know the best pumpkins to grow for Halloween lanterns, there’s a wide choice of seeds out there to choose from. In cooler areas, sow seeds indoors from April to mid-May and transplant them into their final positions after the last frosts. However, you can wait until late May to early June, and sow them directly outdoors.
I’m not a huge fan of US-style pumpkins, which have killed off our traditional North-East turnips (swedes to southerners), also known up here as bagie lanterns. However, they are a nightmare to carve, usually ending in real blood spilt and the smell of burning turnip and candlewax is once smelled, never forgotten.
Pumpkins are much easier to carve. The best carving pumpkins – the Jack o’ Lantern types – come in not just traditional orange but some ghostly white and warty varieties as well. You may be interested in the best black plants and flowers for Halloween.
Pumpkins to grow for Halloween – Huge Jack o’ Lanterns (over 20lb/9kg)
Big Max: Traditional heirloom variety is widely grown in the USA. Great for cooking, roasting the seeds and carving. Fruits can weigh up to 45kg. Widely available.
Early King: Large dark orange round fruits with strong handles, up to 12kg in size. Intermediate resistance to powdery mildew. minimum 15 seeds, Fosters Seeds
Expert F1: Large, round to slightly broad pumpkins with a deep orange colour. They can be left to produce fruits weighing up to 12kg or harvested and ripened earlier to produce smaller pumpkins. Not widely available, but can be found on eBay.
Hundredweight (Cucubita maxima): Can attain huge weights if grown singly. This pumpkin is oval to round with deep orange flesh, ideal for soups or pies. Allow 200m between plants. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Large Jack o’ Lantern pumpkins (10lb/4.5kg to 22lb/10kg)
Cargo F1: British bred with resistance to powdery mildew, 6-10kg/13-22lb fruits with tasty flesh. 10 seeds, www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk
Charmant: PMR F1: Bright orange, rounded fruit, approximately 6-8kg in weight on compact semi-vining plants that display a resistance to powdery mildew. 10 seeds, www.mr-fothergills.co.uk
Connecticut Field: USA heirloom variety, grown since the 17th century – the original Halloween pumpkin. Fruits weighing up to 10kg with bright orange skin and crispy delicious orange flesh. The flat bottom makes it easy to carve. 15 seeds, www.seedparade.co.uk
Gold Medal F1: A reliable performing large orange variety, consistently producing fruits of 10-12kg, ready for Halloween. Ideal for carving or making into a pumpkin pie. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Racer: An early maturing variety with deep orange fruits weighing 5-7kg (11-15lb). Very good flavour and can be stored for several weeks in a cool, dry place. 10 seeds, www.mr-fothergills.co.uk
Pumpkins to grow for Halloween – Medium Jack o’ Lanterns (under 10lb or 4.5kg)
Fireball F1: NEW FOR 2026. Unusual fruits are vibrant orange with yellow stripes, providing a unique pattern and a good contrast. Excellent quality, flat-round pumpkins with an average weight of 3.0-3.5kg, and approximately 20-25cm in diameter. Delicious baked or roasted and stores well. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Spitfire F1: Small fruits ideal for roasting, pumpkin pies or for carving. Plants are highly productive, producing bright orange pumpkins with firm, sweet flesh, www.dtbrown.co.uk
Evergold: British bred, golden fruits turning deep orange and weighing about 4kg (9lb). The yellow gene can cause the first true leaves to turn yellow in cold temperatures. 6 seeds, www.thompson-morgan.com
Halloween: Perfect for lanterns or for pumpkin pie. They will store until Christmas in a cool, dry place. 8 seeds, www.unwins.co.uk
Jack of all Trades: Each 4kg (9lb) orange fruit has a flat base and a deep, rounded shape. The sweet, orange flesh makes a delicious pie and soup. Height: 45cm (18″). Spread: 200cm (79″). 10 seeds, www.thompson-morgan.com
Jack O’Lantern: The traditional pumpkin for carving. The skin is golden orange, and the flesh is fine-flavoured and deep orange. It can be roasted, baked, or made into soup, curries or pie. Stores through the winter and is ready to harvest in about four months from sowing. It can grow up to 45cm, and weighs 3-7kg. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Magic Lantern F1: A classic Halloween variety. Good deep orange colour and strong handle; well-defined ribs. Fruit typically 6.8-11.4Kg depending upon the number left on the vine. Intermediate resistance to powdery mildew. www.plant-world-seeds.com
New England Pie: The 2kg (4.5lb) fruits are an ideal size for carving. Great for soups or pies. 20 seeds, www.mr-fothergills.co.uk
More mediums…
Pot of Gold: A British-bred variety that ripens early with fruits of 3-4kg (6½-9lb). Compact for container growing. 6 seeds, www.unwins.co.uk
Pudsey: 30p from each packet goes to BBC Children in Need. Sweet orange flesh, great for pies and carving. 100 seeds, www.mr-fothergills.co.uk
Small Sugar: Trailing, heirloom mini pumpkin. Sweet, yellow flesh. Deep orange, slightly ribbed skin, growing to 3kg. 15 seeds, www.seedparade.co.uk
Spellbound F1: Semi-bush plants produce orange fruit weighing up to 3.5kg (8lb). The flesh is firm and tasty. 11 seeds, www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk
Triple Treat: ‘Naked’ seeds to dry and eat as a snack. The orange flesh is delicious in pies and soups. Fruit weighs in at about 3kg. 10 seeds, www.seaspringseeds.co.uk
Tom Fox: Jack O’Lantern-type pumpkins with a well ribbed, deep orange colour. Very thick-walled. They are heavy for their size and grow to approximately 5-10kg (12-24 lbs) each. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Wicked F1: British bred, producing superb quality 6-8kg pumpkins. Early maturing with deep orange smooth skins, which are easy to carve and delicious in a pumpkin pie. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Small pumpkins (2kg and under)
Amazonka: The perfect choice if you have limited space, producing bright orange, flattened spherical fruits. Try roasting or soup-making, and they store well, too. www.suttons.co.uk
Baby Bear: Small enough for children to harvest and lift themselves. Seeds are semi-hulless, so they are ideal for roasted snacks. A slender handle ideal for lifting, up to 1kg in weight. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Cinnamon Girl: A space-saver and produces the perfect miniature pumpkins, full of flavour. They are great for carving, and, as the name suggests, Cinnamon Girl can be combined with the favourite spice of winter. The flesh is not sweet, so use plenty of sugar. www.plant-world-seeds.com
Gold Speck F1: This variety produces mini pumpkins measuring only 7.5cm (3”) in diameter, 5cm (2”) in depth and weighing just 150-250g. A bush type, perfect for smaller growing spaces. Shows superb disease resistance, including powdery mildew and is really easy to grow. www.suttons.co.uk
Jack Be Little F1: Beautiful, ribbed, small, flattened orange fruits around 170-350g. These make a perfect serving dish for pumpkin soup once the flesh has been used. Approximately 8 fruits per plant at 60cm (24″) spacings. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Jill Be Little F1: A mini orange pumpkin. Ideal for Halloween decorations, but also delicious to eat. Try chopping the top off, scooping the seeds out, stuffing and roasting whole. www.chilternseeds.co.uk
Squashkin Autumn Crown F1: A cross between pumpkin Crown Prince and butternut squash. Expect a butternut-coloured pumpkin-shaped fruit with deep orange flesh, which has a sweet melon scent. The semi-trailing vines produce very early fruit, which can weigh up to 2kg each. Expect up to 5 fruits per plant, which are great for long storage. www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk
Winter Luxury Pumpkin: Super-early with good flavour, 2kg (4lb), orange with a slight netting. It will store until Christmas. 12 seeds, www.premierseedsdirect.com
White pumpkins
Baby Boo: A miniature pumpkin, producing many white fruits per plant, each one the size of a tennis ball. A favourite for decoration. It does have culinary uses, though, with sweet white flesh, and is ideal stuffed and baked. www.plant-world-seeds.com
Casperita F1: Small white munchkin-type pumpkin, producing a uniform crop of 5-10 fruits per plant, each weighing approximately. 750g with strong handles. www.kingsseeds.co.uk
Grey Ghost: Distinctive bluish-grey, lightly ribbed skin. Thick, sweet orange flesh is ideal for roasting or making soups. Fruits weigh 6-7kg. Known for their long shelf life, they’re perfect for culinary use or for carving. www.suttons.co.uk
Polar Bear F1: Ghost-white fruit that remains white with age, weighing up to 20–25kg (44-55lb) with yellow-orange flesh. Best grown in raised beds or large containers with plenty of rich, loamy soil. 8 seeds, www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk
White Casper: 15lb white pumpkins with less bluing than any other variety. The flesh is also very sweet, and it is excellent for carving or painting. 10 seeds, www.premierseedsdirect.com
Pumpkins to grow for Halloween – Warty varieties
Goosebumps: Unusual warty skin, producing fruits weighing 3-6kg. 6 seeds, www.kingsseeds.com
Knuckle Head F1: Upright deep orange oval fruits with distinctive ‘warts’ and strong handles, approximately 5-7kg in size. Medium vine habit, so suitable for smaller growing areas. 10 seeds, www.simplyseed.co.uk
Warty Goblin F1: Bright orange skin with a multitude of green warts! Great for Halloween lanterns and for eating too. www.plant-world-seeds.com
Zombie: Spreading plants produce up to three of these knobbly 3-4kg (6.5-8.5lbs) fruits. www.thompson-morgan.com
Read more about great pumpkins and squashes for UK gardens.
