Days to Maturity: 100 from direct sow

Grow your own autumn decorations on strong, vigorous, early maturing vines. Lil' Pumpkemon is a baby variety with small, perfect, highly decorative fruit that will carry you through football weekends, Halloween festivities, and the Thanksgiving feast.

Nicely ribbed and slightly flattish in shape, these golden-yellow pumpkins sport thin stripes of bright orange. Weighing between 1 and 2 pounds, they are just the right size for the dining room table or mantel. And you'll have plenty to work with—Lil' Pumpkemon is a very heavy-bearing variety that sets fruit before many others are fully ripe.

The fruit is a nice size for using in cuisine as well. Cut around the stem as if you were preparing a jack-o-lantern, scoop out the flesh, and use the hollow interior as a soup bowl or container for dip. Or stuff and bake the entire pumpkin. Perfect for single-serving sizes of any side dish.

Lil' Pumpkemon combines heavy yields with irresistible appeal. Make it part of your veggie garden this year and bring a smile to the face of all who see these charming little pumpkins