The History of Pumpkins

From Ancient Staple to Greenhouse Giant
It’s almost Halloween! This holiday is the perfect opportunity to dive into the history of a produce that is very important to American (and European) history... The pumpkin! This article will describe the history of pumpkins, from their ancient origins to their cultural importance and presence in greenhouses today.
Ancient Origins
The first evidence of pumpkins was found in Mexico, where pumpkins and other squash are native to. Indigenous peoples in Central America (and all over North America as the fruit spread) utilized pumpkins in a number of ways. They were eaten as food, utilized as containers, administered as medicine, and dried in strips to weave together.
European Adoption
When Europeans arrived in America, they also adopted pumpkins into their everyday cuisine. They became a staple for colonial settlers and Europeans alike as they sent pumpkins and other North American produce back across the Atlantic. Colonial settlers used pumpkins in stews and roasts, while they were more often utilized as animal feed in Europe.
Jack-O-Lanterns: Religious Roots
The main reason pumpkins are known and loved today is through Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns. But how did this strange tradition start?
There are a mixture of Gaelic folk tales and legends that contribute to the origins of the Jack-o-Lantern. The most prominent is the Gaelic ritual of Samhain. People would travel from house to house looking for a meal, and they would carry carved-out root vegetables filled with embers to light their way.
Once pumpkins were introduced by American colonists, Europeans found them much easier to carve out than other vegetables such as potatoes and beets, and Jack-o-Lanterns were born.
Modern Tradition
British and Irish immigrants brought the tradition of carving pumpkins to America, but the entire holiday of Halloween and the popularity of Jack-o-Lanterns didn’t take off until after WWII, when sugar and children became more abundant. After that, the demand for pumpkins to carve rather than to eat increased, and farmers started breeding the fruits for that purpose.
Greenhouse Giants
Today, pumpkins continue to be an American staple bred for both eating and carving. One tradition currently gaining popularity is giant pumpkin growing. There are many local growing contests across the nation, including the Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off. Multiple world champions have been named at this contest, including the current world record pumpkin, which weighed 2,749 lbs.
Pumpkins can grow to enormous sizes when grown in a greenhouse. The record-breaking pumpkins are almost always grown indoors, and pumpkins thrive in greenhouses because they enjoy long hours of intense sunlight and lots of water.
Plus, pumpkins require a specific soil pH and lots of nutrients to grow properly. If you’re looking to continue the ancient tradition of growing pumpkins on North American soil within your greenhouse (or growing anything in a greenhouse anywhere across the globe) TC Control Group can help. We provide climate control and irrigation systems that will allow you to grow anything indoors, anywhere in the world. Perhaps your automated greenhouse can be the start of a new American tradition, involving pumpkins or some other produce!