DATE:   10/15/98
WRITER: Dr. Anthony P. Keinath, Extension Vegetable Pathologist,  
        (843) 766-3761

Pumpkins That Thrive in the South 

     CLEMSON -- If seeing fall pumpkins makes you want to grow your
own next summer, it's best to plan ahead. Not all pumpkin varieties
do well in the South. If you have tried to grow pumpkins but they
shriveled up this summer, next time try a new variety, like "Magic
Lantern."  
     The key to success for this variety is resistance to the most
common and damaging pumpkin disease, powdery mildew. Powdery mildew
shows up as white, dusty spots on both the top and undersides of
leaves. These spots spread rapidly and soon cover large areas of
the leaves, which then yellow and shrivel.
     However, "Magic Lantern" has been bred to naturally resist
infection by the powdery mildew. It also produces a good number of
fruit per vine, averaging 15 pounds apiece under S.C. conditions.  
     Seed of "Magic Lantern" was in short supply in 1998, so place
your orders early for the 1999 season.
     Three other varieties which yield well, although they are not
resistant to powdery mildew, are "Spookie," "Spooktacular," and
"Small Sugar." These varieties produce small fruit, generally about
5 pounds apiece. 
     If you want a large pumpkin, try one of the "giant pumpkins"
with names like "Big Max" or "Mammoth Gold." Their fruit will be
larger, up to 50 pounds or more in the Upstate, but giant pumpkins
usually do not have the rounded jack-o-lantern shape best for
carving.  
     The giant pumpkins are also partially resistant to another
pumpkin disease, downy mildew, which kills vines in wet weather.
Downy mildew starts as hundreds of small yellow flecks on leaves. 
The flecks enlarge, turn brown, and the leaves shrivel up.
     To protect pumpkins against downy and powdery mildew, spray
weekly with a home garden fungicide that includes daconil. Check
the active ingredient list on the label, as daconil is sold under
several different brand names.
     Possible sources for some of the hard-to-find varieties of
pumpkins are: Rupp's Seeds, Wauseon, OH, (419) 337-5491 (Spookie,
Spooktacular, and Small Sugar); and Harris Seeds, Rochester NY, 
1-800-544-7938 (Magic Lantern and Spookie).
     For more information about these and other varieties of
pumpkins, check out the S.C. Pumpkin News at:
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/hort/vegprog.htm . The Jan. and
July 1998 issues mention "Magic Lantern." The Oct. 1997 issue has
powdery mildew reactions for 32 varieties, and Jan. 1998 has yield
data for these varieties.
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     If you have gardening questions or comments, write to
Agricultural News & Publications, Box 340311, A-101 Poole
Agricultural Center, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 29634-0311.
                              END