Pumpkins great and small are available for your own patch
Some pumpkins are best for cooking, others for crafting, and others still for taking you to the ball — as long as you’re home by midnight.
Although the classic orange orb remains a favorite, there’s a pumpkin for every purpose.
This time of year, shoppers can find a variety of pumpkins for sale almost everywhere — at a nursery, at the grocery store and at an honor-system produce stand along a country road.
Another option, of course, is to raise your own — and it’s not too early to start planning for such a project next spring if you’re interested in trying.
Don’t let lack of room hold you back, even though pumpkin vines do possess a well-deserved reputation as sprawling space hogs. Miniature varieties, which have a smaller footprint, can be trained to grow up a trellis.
Lilliputians of the pumpkin world include Wee-B-Little, whose smooth surface facilitates decorative painting, and Casperita, which boasts a ghostly white exterior.
Or perhaps you’ve got room and want to try the opposite extreme: growing a behemoth.
Then Dill’s Atlantic Giant is the variety for you.
Although the current world-record-holder weighed more than 2,000 pounds (yes, a ton!), you could possibly raise a couple-hundredpounder without taking extraordinary measures.
For competitive growers, that could include applying custom fertilizers, pollinating the flowers by hand and shading the object of their obsession from bright sunshine.
Most huge pumpkins today are Dill’s Atlantic Giants, so it’s worth tracking down these seeds if this is your goal.
But if you’d prefer a pumpkin that isn’t the biggest or the smallest but instead features other special traits, here are some to consider:
■ Classic: If you favor smooth, round, orange pumpkins, scope out varieties such as Cargo, Howden, Sorcerer and Wolf — all ideal for traditional decorating and jack-o’-lanterns.
■ Culinary: Small Sugar and New England Pie are two popular types for pies and other fall treats. They tend to be sweeter and less stringy than decorative pumpkins.
■ Unusual appearance: Want warts? Consider the aptly named Warty Goblin or the striking Galeux d’Eysines, which features light-colored skin covered with textured bumps resembling peanut shells.
Feeling blue? Selections with bluish, green or gray rind include smooth-skinned Jarrahdale and bumpy Marina di Chioggia. Both win praise for deliciousness.
■ Transportation: The squat and scarlet Rouge
Vif D’Etampes is sometimes called the “Cinderella pumpkin,” for its resemblance to the heroine’s coach in the Disney movie.
This heirloom variety makes a good option if you have a fairy godmother — and don’t want to Uber to the ball.