PUMPKIN FACTS AND FANTASIES
Kay Burdette

FACT - The pumpkin is really a squash, a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers. Technically a vegetable, it performs so well as pie filling it is often considered a fruit. Pumpkins grow on every continent except Antarctica.

FACT - Americans are growing fatter and so are pumpkins. There's an exclusive club of pumpkin growers called the "1100" club. (That's pounds, not members!) Last year's prize winner weighed in at 1,446 pounds, more than 66 pounds heavier than the previous world record.

FANTASY - Growing giant pumpkins is easy. Fact - most of the big ones are carefully planted, hand pollinated (female pumpkins), diligently fertilized (they need their vitamins), and regularly watered throughout their "pumpkinhood." Some experts recommend naming the baby pumpkin with names like "Slim, Tiny, or Junior" to be avoided. Atlantic Giant is a popular super-sized variety.

It is not the strongest pumpkin grower that survives, not the most intelligent, but the grower most responsive to change.--- Charles Darwin, Theory of Pumpkin Evolution

FACT - Pumpkin festivals are big business. Half Moon Bay in California has an annual festival - the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Monster pumpkins are forklifted onto a carefully calibrated 5-ton capacity digital scale with the winner receiving $5 per pound. There's also a special $500 prize for the "most beautiful pumpkin" as judged by the audience.

The first merry-go-round was set up at the 1905 Circleville Pumpkin Show. The Circleville (Ohio) Pumpkin Show is advertised as the sixth largest festival in the United States with an annual attendance in four days and nights of over 300,000 persons. Special features include the World's Largest Pumpkin Pie and twin crownings of Miss Pumpkin and Little Miss Pumpkin.

FANTASY- Jack o' lanterns were always pumpkins. Fact: jack o' lanterns originated in Scotland and Ireland between the 15th and 17th centuries as large, carved turnips carved and placed in windows or near doors to frighten away "Stingy Jack" and other wandering evil spirits. The Brits used large beets to achieve the same purpose. Immigrants brought the jack o' lantern tradition with them when they came to America.

Visit www.santafebotanicalgarden.org to learn more about how Santa Fe Botanical Garden celebrates, cultivates and preserves the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of the region.