Growing Guides
Pumpkin and squash growing guides from Kansas. Vine borer prevention, pest control, companion planting, soil prep, and heirloom varieties. Zone 6b tested.
Best Heirloom Pumpkin Varieties for Midwest Gardens: A Kansas Grower's Guide
The Midwest can be brutal on pumpkins. Vine borers, summer heat, humidity, clay soils, and late-season drought all conspire against the gardener...
Read guide →How to Grow Seminole Pumpkins: Planting, Care and Harvest
Plan a Seminole pumpkin patch with practical guidance on planting time, vine space, pollination, harvest and seed saving, with Kansas and Florida...
Read guide →Spell Cast F1 Pumpkin: Growing the Moschata Hybrid in Kansas
Spell Cast F1 is a Cucurbita moschata hybrid that checks every box on a pumpkin grower's wishlist: vine borer resistant, attractive fall...
Read guide →Best Storage Pumpkins: Heirloom Varieties That Last All Winter
Most gardeners think of pumpkins as a fall harvest crop, something to enjoy in October and November. But certain heirloom varieties, grown...
Read guide →Seminole Pumpkin: Florida History, Flavor and Kitchen Uses
Meet the Seminole pumpkin through its Florida history, sweet orange flesh and uses in the kitchen, with a separate guide for planting...
Read guide →Cucurbita moschata vs. Cucurbita pepo: Why Your Pumpkin Species Matters
Walk into any garden center and you'll find dozens of pumpkin varieties. But almost every one falls into two species, and understanding...
Read guide →New England Cheddar F1 Pumpkin: Growing the Orange Pie Pumpkin in Kansas
New England Cheddar F1 is the pumpkin that bridges two worlds: it looks like a classic orange jack-o'-lantern pumpkin but performs like...
Read guide →Best Pumpkins for Hot Climates: Heat Tolerant Varieties That Thrive in Kansas
Kansas summers don't forgive weak plants. By August, when the heat index pushes past 105°F and the ground bakes between rain events,...
Read guide →Autumn Crown Pumpkin: Growing This Moschata F1 Hybrid in Kansas
Autumn Crown is a Cucurbita moschata F1 hybrid that does something most moschata varieties don't prioritize: it looks stunning. The skin has...
Read guide →Xiye Butternut: Growing the Heat Tolerant Storage Variety in Kansas
Xiye Butternut is a variety selected for two things most butternut growers want and rarely get together: extreme heat tolerance and exceptional...
Read guide →Mrs. Amerson's Pumpkin: Growing the Southern Heirloom Pie Pumpkin in Kansas
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...
Read guide →Magdalena Big Cheese: Growing the Southwestern Desert Heirloom in Kansas
Magdalena Big Cheese is a Southwestern heirloom from the Magdalena area of New Mexico, where it's been grown by Native American and...
Read guide →Lungo de Napoli: Growing the Italian Heirloom Winter Squash in Kansas
Lungo de Napoli, "Long of Naples", is the squash that's been a cornerstone of Neapolitan cooking for centuries. It's a massive, elongated...
Read guide →Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck: Growing the Amish Heirloom in Kansas
Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck is one of the great old butternut-type varieties from the mid-Atlantic region, a big, curving crookneck squash with a...
Read guide →South Anna Butternut: Growing an Open-Pollinated Squash in Kansas
South Anna Butternut is a modern open-pollinated winter squash developed from a cross between Seminole Pumpkin and Waltham Butternut, with selection for...
Read guide →Baker's Branch Butternut: Growing the Modern Open-Pollinated Squash in Kansas
Baker's Branch Butternut is a modern open-pollinated butternut, bred in central Virginia and released as an open-source variety. It is not an...
Read guide →Chinese Tropical Pumpkin: Growing the Tropical Moschata in Kansas
Chinese Tropical Pumpkin is the workhorse squash of Southeast Asian cooking. Walk through any Chinese, Vietnamese, or Thai market and you'll see...
Read guide →Tahitian Melon Squash: Growing the Giant Pacific Heirloom in Kansas
Tahitian Melon Squash is the gentle giant of the Cucurbita moschata world. Our product guidance lists typical fruit at 15 to 25...
Read guide →Guatemalan Green Ayote: Growing the Green Fleshed Landrace in Kansas
If you are here because you saw the word on a menu or a market sign, start with what ayote actually is....
Read guide →Jamaican Tropical Pumpkin: Growing the Caribbean Calabaza in Kansas
In Jamaica, pumpkin isn't a fall decoration, it's a year-round staple. Jamaican Tropical Pumpkin is the variety that shows up in pepper...
Read guide →Cuban Neck Pumpkin: Growing the Tropical Crookneck in Kansas
Cuban Neck is one of those rarely-offered varieties that looks almost comically oversized, a massive crookneck squash with a long, curved neck...
Read guide →Autumn Frost F1 Pumpkin: Planting, Care and Harvest in Kansas
Autumn Frost F1 is a Cucurbita moschata winter squash with rounded, ribbed fruit that ripens to dark tan with a frosted overlay....
Read guide →Thai Kang Kob Pumpkin: Growing the Disease Resistant Asian Heirloom in Kansas
Thai Kang Kob is the variety that Southeast Asian cooks reach for when they need a squash with real backbone, dense flesh...
Read guide →Honeynut Squash: Growing the Mini Butternut in Kansas
Honeynut is what happens when you take a butternut squash and concentrate everything good about it into a personal-sized package. Bred at...
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