b"BREEDING SPOOKINESSfor the HOLIDAYSBreeding a Halloween mainstay and its food industry cousin takes a lot more than just buying it from the pumpkin patch. Treena HeinFOR MOST OF US,even if were only younga wide range of striking looks. At HM.CLAUSE, at heart, Halloween just isnt Halloween with- there are striped varieties (e.g. Fireball), ones with out a carved pumpkin. Theyre fun to make andwarts (e.g. Warty Goblin), pale specimens (e.g. set that spooky vibe we crave as All Hallows EveSpectre) and much more. draws close. The most recent release from Johnnys Seeds But for those who lived two centuries ago, jack- is Igor (pronounced Eye-gore), a tall pumpkin o-lanterns were a far more serious concept. Whilewith dark orange skin, deep ribs and a pronounced the carving of vegetables for various reasons has ashoulder that creates a truly foreboding look. long history in many parts of the world, its believedWeve gotten some great new colored jack-o-that carving faces in veggies goes back thousands oflanterns from our partners, adds Johnnys Pumpkin years in some European Celtic cultures. These ghoul- Breeder Lindsay Wyatt, including our new release ish creations may have symbolized ancestors, gods,Shiver, a small white pumpkin bred by the late the severed heads of enemiesno one can be sure. Brent Loy at the University of New Hampshire. It is well established that in Ireland and Scotland in the 1800s, turnips were carved with scaryOverall Trendsfaces and a candle was placed inside. Recall thatWhen Daley reflects on the evolution of Halloween night is, of course, the eve of All Saints'HM.CLAUSE pumpkin breeding, he lists directions Day and the European Celtic festival of Samhainto be diversification into specialty market slots, on Nov. 1. That night wasand is still believed tohigh quality, disease resistanceas well as glo-be by somea night when supernatural creaturesbalization of seed sales, with a slow but growing and the souls of the dead freely wandered, unin- interest internationally for Halloween pumpkins.cumbered by strict boundaries that applied theFor ornamental pumpkins, aesthetic qualities rest of the year. It was a different time and supersti- are hugely important (size, shape, color, pedun-tious thinking was the norm. Placed in windowsillscle characteristics, ribbing, etc.), but yield, earli-or outside doorways, jack-o-lanterns were used toness, disease resistance and growth habit are also ward off any evil spirits that may happen by. Withextremely important, says Daley. Decorative types their glowing light and menacing expressions, theseare less bound by size and shape constraints. creations protected people but also their livestockJohnnys pumpkin breeding programs involve and their hard-won harvest. .long-term relationships with universities (New Theres a variety ofAccording to HM.CLAUSE Breeder James Daley,Hampshire and Cornell) for sourcing new genetics. different pumpkins toluckily we are living through an ongoing golden ageWe have had a consistent focus on breeding choose from forin pumpkin breeding. jack-o-lanterns, with a smaller focus on pie pump-jack-o-lanterns,kins, says Wyatt. The focus has not changed including the HM. Varieties Abound much over timejust working on continual CLAUSE Cannonball. While the old-school orange carver pumpkins willimprovement. The most important characteristics never go out of style, Daley explains the increasinghavent changed much eitherthen and now, demand for something different led to the market- weve targeted great color, strong, green handles, ing of more sizes as well as pumpkins imbued withattractive appearance, good yield and disease 6/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2021"