Every October the same colour takes over shop windows, doorsteps and coffee menus: pumpkin orange. Koa, being a pink koala, had one very serious question about it. Why orange? And could a pumpkin ever be pink? So she did what she does best: she studied.
Pumpkins start out green
A young pumpkin on the vine is usually green. That green comes from chlorophyll, the pigment plants use to turn sunlight into energy. Underneath it, the pumpkin is also full of carotenoids, yellow-orange-red pigments (the same family that colours carrots).
As autumn nights get longer, the plant slows down and stops making chlorophyll. The green fades, and the carotenoids that were there all along finally show through. It is the same thing that happens when leaves change colour in the fall. Warm sunny days with cool (but not freezing) nights can speed the change up, while a dry summer can slow it down.
Koa's favourite part: the orange was never "added" at the end. It was hiding underneath the whole time, waiting for the right season. Very relatable during exam prep.
Not every pumpkin is orange
Growers have bred pumpkins and squashes in all kinds of colours: white, red, blue-grey and, yes, pink.
- Galeux d'Eysines is an old French heirloom from the Bordeaux region, first listed by the seed house Vilmorin back in 1883. Its skin is a soft salmon pink, and as it ripens it gets covered in big beige bumps that look a bit like peanuts. Strange, but you can still bake it or turn it into soup.
- Porcelain Doll is a modern pink pumpkin from the Froese family of Colorado Seeds. It appeared by accident, and the family worked backwards to isolate it and turn it into seed. Growers who sell it donate per pumpkin to the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation, which supports breast cancer research. Fitting for October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
So if you want a pink pumpkin on your desk this year, it does not have to be paint. (Although paint is also fine. Koa does not judge.)
A tiny study trick: one pumpkin at a time
Here is the idea Koa took from all this. Big projects look scary when they are still "green". Progress often stays invisible for a while, and then one day it suddenly shows. So she makes it visible on purpose:
- Draw (or print) a little pumpkin patch with 10 to 30 pumpkins.
- Study for one focus round, for example 25 minutes with the free study timer on pinkoa.com.
- Colour one pumpkin. Take your break.
- When the patch is full, you have earned a treat (pumpkin spice optional).
If you do not want to draw your own, Koa's pink Halloween printables, including a 30-round pumpkin progress chart, are free until Halloween. And for the record, the new ghost Koa pillow is covered in pink pumpkins, because of course it is.
Shade of the day: no. 19, Orchid Pink
Orchid Pink (#F2BDCD) is a soft, dusty pink with a hint of lilac. It pairs with orange, cream and gold, which makes it the perfect pink to sit next to a real pumpkin this weekend. Try it as a planner tab colour, with an orange highlighter for deadlines.
Launch month is still on: code KOA20 gives 20% off until 25 October.
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