Growing Guides

Pumpkin and squash growing guides from Kansas. Vine borer prevention, pest control, companion planting, soil prep, and heirloom varieties. Zone 6b tested.

Vine Borer Defense

Black Futsu Squash: Growing the Rare Japanese Heirloom in Kansas

Black Futsu is one of those varieties that stops people in their tracks. The skin is dark, nearly black when immature, covered...

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Vine Borer Defense

Musquée de Provence: Growing the French Heirloom Pumpkin in Kansas

Musquée de Provence is the pumpkin you've seen in every French market photo, deeply ribbed, flat and round, turning from dark green...

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Vine Borer Defense

Waltham Butternut Squash: The Award-Winning Heirloom Growing Guide for Kansas

If you only grow one winter squash, grow Waltham Butternut. It won the All-America Selections award in 1970, and over fifty years...

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Vine Borer Defense

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin: Growing the Best Heirloom Pie Pumpkin in Kansas

Long Island Cheese is an open-pollinated heirloom pumpkin named for its flattened, ribbed, buff-tan fruit, which resembles a wheel of cheese. Its...

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Vine Borer Defense

Dickinson Pumpkin: The Original Pie Pumpkin Growing Guide for Kansas

If you've ever eaten canned pumpkin pie filling, you've almost certainly eaten a Dickinson pumpkin. This is the variety that built Libby's,...

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Kansas Growing

Kansas Pumpkin Planting Calendar: Your Zone 6 Growing Timeline

Month-by-month pumpkin planting calendar for Kansas Zone 6b gardens. Frost dates, indoor start times, and direct sow windows for heirloom pumpkin varieties.

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Kansas Growing

Best Pumpkins to Grow in Kansas: A Complete Variety Guide

A complete guide to the best pumpkin varieties for Kansas growers. Heirloom and hybrid picks for pies, carving, decoration, and long-term storage...

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Varieties

Best Heirloom Pumpkin Varieties for Pies, Soups, and Cooking

A guide to the best heirloom pumpkin varieties for pies, soups, and cooking, with tips on how to prepare each one.

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Varieties

Saving Heirloom Pumpkin Seeds: How to Harvest, Dry, and Store Seeds for Next Year

Step-by-step instructions for harvesting, cleaning, drying, and storing heirloom pumpkin seeds so you can replant them year after year.

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Kansas Growing

How to Grow Heirloom Pumpkins in Kansas: A Beginner's Guide

Everything Kansas growers need to know about planting, caring for, and harvesting heirloom pumpkin varieties in zones 5b through 6b.

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