Mrs. Amerson's Pumpkin: Growing the Southern Heirloom Pie Pumpkin in Kansas
By Autumn Prairie Pumpkins
Mrs. Amerson's Pumpkin is one of those varieties that survived because somebody's grandmother refused to let it disappear. It's a Southern heirloom Cucurbita moschata that's been passed down through families in the American South, the kind of pumpkin that shows up in handwritten recipe cards and church potluck pies. The name comes from the family that maintained and shared the seed, keeping it alive through generations when commercial agriculture was busily replacing heirloom varieties with hybrids.
What makes Mrs. Amerson's special is the pie. It makes an exceptional pie filling, dense, smooth, sweet, and deeply flavored. As a moschata, it carries the vine borer resistance Kansas gardeners need, plus the heat tolerance that made it a reliable producer across the hot, humid American South.
Why Mrs. Amerson's Thrives in Kansas
Southern heirlooms and Kansas gardens are a natural fit. Both environments demand heat tolerance, pest resistance, and the ability to produce in challenging conditions. Mrs. Amerson's has been doing exactly that for generations. The moschata vine borer resistance keeps the plants healthy through our worst pest months.
Days to maturity run 95–110 days. Fruits are medium-sized (6–12 lbs), tan-skinned, and produce thick, deep orange flesh. The compact fruit size makes them easy to handle and process in a home kitchen.
K-State's squash vine borer guide (MF3309) provides Kansas-specific growing advice for moschata varieties.
How to Grow Mrs. Amerson's Pumpkin in Kansas (Zone 6b)
Starting Seeds
Direct sow mid-May, 1 inch deep, 2–3 per hill. Thin to best plant. Standard moschata germination, 7–10 days in 65°F+ soil. Indoor starts 3 weeks ahead work well for earlier pies.
Spacing
5–7 feet between plants. Moderately vigorous vines. Manageable in a medium-sized garden plot.
Soil and Fertility
Rich, well-drained soil with compost. pH 6.0–6.8. Moderate feeder. Balanced fertilizer at planting, side-dress when vines run.
Watering
1–1.5 inches per week through fruit set. Drip irrigation preferred. Consistent moisture produces the best flesh quality and sweetness.
Harvest and Storage
Harvest when skin is tan and hard, stem dry. Cut with 3 inches of stem. Cure 2 weeks in warm, dry conditions. Stores 4–6 months. Like most Southern pie pumpkins, the flavor deepens with a month of storage as starches convert to sugars.
Mrs. Amerson's in the Kitchen
This is a pie pumpkin, first and foremost. The flesh is deep orange, smooth, dense, and sweet, it purees beautifully with almost no stringiness. Mrs. Amerson's makes the kind of pie that people ask about: rich, flavorful, and noticeably better than anything from a can.
Beyond pie, the flesh works beautifully in pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, soups, and mashed as a side dish. The moderate size means one fruit is about the right amount for a pie plus some extras for the cook.
Saving Seeds
Open-pollinated heirloom. Mrs. Amerson's exists because people saved the seed, honor that tradition. Save from your best fruit, scoop, rinse, dry 2–3 weeks. Cross-pollinates with other moschata.
Keep the Tradition Alive
Mrs. Amerson's Pumpkin Seeds ship from Newton, Kansas. Browse our heirloom seed collection.
More growing guides: Dickinson Pumpkin Growing Guide · Long Island Cheese Pumpkin Growing Guide · Cushaw Green-Striped Growing Guide