Edible Gardening

Planting Pumpkins: Timing and Variety Suggestions

By Sarah Marcheschi

Sugar pumpkins

Sugar pumpkins, sometimes called sugar pie pumpkins, are small and sweet, with a fine, tender orange flesh. As their name suggests, they’re a perfect choice for cooking and baking into pies, muffins, and breads. Plants can spread up to 4 feet wide when grown along the ground. However, like the miniature varieties, sugar pumpkins can be tied to a trellis if space is at a premium. Once pumpkins get too large and heavy for the vine, (they’ll eventually grow to roughly 10 inches in diameter and weigh around 6 – 7 pounds), support them with a sling made from strips of fabric.

Sugar pumpkins take 95 -100 days to reach maturity, and should be planted in spring once danger of frost has passed. They should be harvested before the first fall frost is able to do any damage. And cute as they were dotting your landscape, once you cut them down, the fun really starts! Preparing sugar pumpkins for use in recipes is simple. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, (save them for planting if you like, or season and toast for a snack), and bake in the oven. You’ll end up with sweet, tasty flesh that can be pureed and used in anything from homemade soup to your Thanksgiving pie.

Connecticut field pumpkins

If any pumpkin is upheld as a quintessential slice of Americana, it’s the Connecticut field pumpkin. With its ideal round shape, flattened bottom, and orange color, this is the pumpkin that will grace your front stoop when the October days become chilly and it’s the perfect choice for carving jack-o-lanterns in anticipation of spooky Halloween nights. An heirloom variety, the Connecticut field pumpkin was first introduced to settlers in New England prior to 1700. It remains a popular choice due to its reliability, its size, and its edible flesh. (However, it isn’t quite as smooth or sweet as the sugar pumpkin).

Ultimately weighing 15 – 20 pounds, or more, and measuring 12 – 20 inches in diameter, these sprawling vines are definitely not for the faint of heart, or for the small space or patio gardener. But if you do have the room, they are a fun crop to grow. Kids and grown-ups alike will love helping with the harvest in the fall. Seeds are often direct sown in hills that are spaced 6-feet apart. You will want to devote 50 – 100 square feet per hill to accommodate the vining nature of the plant.

French heirloom pumpkins

Known variously as the ‘Bright Red Etames,’ ‘Rouge vif D’Etampes,’ or simply ‘Cinderella’ pumpkin, for its resemblance, of course, to the one that, with the wave of a magic wand, becomes an enchanted coach in the fairytale. This French heirloom is notable for its flattened shape, pronounced ribbing, and vivid red-orange color. (And for being my favorite of all the pumpkins – that must count for something, right?)

Beloved in France for hundreds of years, ‘Cinderella’ was introduced to the United States in the late 19th century. It became popular here as well due to its frequent use as an ornamental plant and its mildly sweet flesh that can be used for cooking and baking. It makes a most attractive addition to an autumn display. I’ve even seen the hollowed out shell put to use as a decorative soup tureen! Like the Connecticut field pumpkin, this one is best grown where ample space can be devoted to vines that will ramble and roam. Seeds are typically planted in hills, with 3 – 4 seeds per hill. When mature, this pumpkin can reach 1 – 2 feet in diameter, and weigh between 15 – 40 pounds. Plan on calling in reinforcements in the form of your most able-bodied friends come harvest time!

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