Best Pumpkin and Squash Seeds for Kansas Gardens

Maggie from Autumn Prairie Pumpkins among heirloom pumpkins and squash on the farm porch at golden hour
From our Kansas patch to yours
Every heirloom & hybrid we grow, ranked for Kansas gardens.

A grower's quick-compare of every heirloom and hybrid we offer, chosen for Kansas heat, prairie wind, clay soil, squash vine borers, and mildew. Click any name for the full guide.

How to read it: days and fruit size come from each variety's listing. Vine borer and powdery mildew / disease ratings link to the evidence behind them. Most of our catalog is Cucurbita moschata, whose solid stems resist squash vine borer and whose foliage tends to tolerate powdery mildew better than common pepo pumpkins. We say tolerant, not bulletproof. Small-garden fit flags compact or trellis-friendly picks.

Variety Species Days Fruit size Best use Vine borer[4] Powdery mildew / disease Small garden Flavor notes Growing guide Storage life Vine length
Seminole Pumpkin C. moschata 90–120 3–10 lb Pies, roasting, long storage High[4] Powdery + downy mildew[2] Needs space Sweet, nutty, dense Guide 6 to 12 mo 25 ft or more
Autumn Frost F1 C. moschata 100 4–6 lb Pies, roasting, fall decor High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Moderate Sweet, cold-hardy Guide 3 to 5 mo 6 to 10 ft
Long Island Cheese Pumpkin C. moschata 105 6–15 lb Pies, storage, classic heirloom High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Sweet, fine-grained Guide 4 to 6 mo 10 to 15 ft
Mrs. Amerson's Pumpkin C. moschata 110 20–60 lb Pies, show size, storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Sweet, firm texture Guide 4 to 6 mo 12 to 15 ft
Magdalena Big Cheese C. moschata 110 10–20 lb Pies, storage, rare heirloom High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Rich, sweet pie flesh Guide 4 to 6 mo 12 to 15 ft
Dickinson Pumpkin C. moschata 100 10–40 lb Pies, canning, storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Rich, dense pie flesh Guide 4 to 6 mo 10 to 15 ft
Autumn Crown C. moschata 90 2–4 lb Roasting, small kitchens High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Good Sweet, smooth Guide 3 to 5 mo 6 to 8 ft
Musquee de Provence C. moschata 120 10–20 lb Pies, decor, storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Rich, complex, sweet Guide 5 to 8 mo 15 to 20 ft
New England Cheddar F1 C. moschata 112 5–8 lb Pies, fall decor High[4] Hybrid disease tolerance Moderate Sweet, orange flesh Guide 3 to 4 mo 8 to 10 ft
Spell Cast F1 C. moschata 100 4–7 lb Pies, decor High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Moderate Sweet, smooth Guide 3 to 5 mo 6 to 10 ft
Waltham Butternut C. moschata 100–110 3–6 lb Roasting, soups, storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Good Smooth, buttery, sweet Guide 4 to 6 mo 8 to 12 ft
South Anna Butternut C. moschata 105 4–6 lb Roasting, storage, disease resistance High[4] Downy mildew resistant (bred-in)[3] Good Sweet, buttery Guide 4 to 6 mo 8 to 12 ft
Bakers Branch Butternut C. moschata 105 5–8 lb Roasting, long storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Moderate Smooth, buttery, classic Guide 4 to 6 mo 8 to 12 ft
Violina Rugosa Butternut C. moschata 100 18–24 in Roasting, storage, gourmet High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Moderate Sweet, dense, smooth Guide 4 to 6 mo 8 to 12 ft
Xiye Butternut C. moschata 100 3–5 lb Heat tolerance, storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Good Sweet, heat-tolerant Guide 3 to 4 mo 8 to 12 ft
Honeynut Squash C. moschata 110 ½–1 lb Single-serve roasting, sweet flavor High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Good Sweet, buttery, tender Guide 3 to 4 mo 6 to 8 ft
Sucrine du Berry C. moschata 100 2–6 lb Sweet roasting, pies High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Good Sweet, musky, non-fibrous Guide 4 to 6 mo 10 to 12 ft
Tahitian Melon Squash C. moschata 110–120 15–25 lb Huge harvests, long storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Mild, sweet, tender Guide 4 to 6 mo 20 ft or more
Black Futsu C. moschata 100 3–5 lb Roasting, rare collectors High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Moderate Nutty, dense, earthy Guide 4 to 6 mo 10 to 15 ft
Shishigatani C. moschata 110 5–7 lb Rare collectors, roasting High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Moderate Delicate, slightly sweet Guide 4 to 6 mo 10 to 15 ft
Chirimen C. moschata 100–120 5–11 lb Rare collectors, roasting High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Deep, sweet, slightly nutty Guide 4 to 6 mo 10 to 15 ft
Thai Kang Kob C. moschata 110 6–12 lb Tropical heat, storage High[4] Strong field tolerance[1] Needs space Subtle spice, creamy Guide 4 to 6 mo 12 to 15 ft
Jamaican Tropical Pumpkin C. moschata 100–110 4–10 lb Tropical heat, soups, storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Sweet, dense, earthy Guide 4 to 6 mo 15 to 20 ft
La Estrella F1 C. moschata 125 4–8 lb Tropical heat, calabaza cooking High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Sweet, smooth, firm Guide 4 to 6 mo 12 to 15 ft
Guatemalan Green Ayote C. moschata 105–115 5–10 lb Tropical heat, roasting High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Mild, slightly sweet Guide 4 to 6 mo 15 to 20 ft
Chinese Tropical Pumpkin C. moschata 100–110 4–8 lb Tropical heat, stir-fry, storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Sweet, tender, creamy Guide 4 to 6 mo 15 to 20 ft
Cuban Neck Pumpkin C. moschata 105 5–10 lb Tropical heat, soups High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Earthy, dense, rich Guide 4 to 6 mo 15 to 20 ft
Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck C. moschata 110–120 10–20 lb Pies, long storage High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Needs space Sweet, firm, dense Guide 4 to 6 mo 10 to 15 ft
Tromboncino C. moschata 60–90 1–3 lb Trellising, summer eating High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Good (trellis) Tender, zucchini-like Guide 4 to 6 mo 15 to 20 ft
Cushaw Green-Striped C. argyrosperma 100 10–25 lb Pies, Southern cooking High[4] Good field tolerance Needs space Mild, slightly sweet Guide 3 to 5 mo 12 to 15 ft
Wan Fu F1 C. moschata 90–100 5–10 lb Kabocha roasting, sweet flesh High[4] Moschata field tolerance[1] Moderate Mild, tender when young Guide 4 to 6 mo 8 to 12 ft
Sources for the vine borer, mildew and storage ratingsThe underlined [1]-[4] marks in the table link straight to these sources.
  1. Powdery mildew resistance in Cucurbita (occurs in moschata, essentially never naturally in pepo): peer-reviewed study, PMC.
  2. Seminole resists powdery & downy mildew and squash vine borer: UF/IFAS, Growing Seminole Pumpkin.
  3. South Anna Butternut bred for downy mildew resistance (Seminole × Waltham, 12+ yrs selection): SARE, Breeding a Better Butternut.
  4. Squash vine borer biology & why solid moschata stems hold up: K-State Research & Extension, MF3309.
  5. Storage life. Figures are for a cured fruit held at 50 to 60 F with 50 to 70% relative humidity. Where a variety has no published figure of its own we give the species baseline: Cucurbita moschata and C. maxima 4 to 6 months, C. pepo 2 to 3 months, per UMass Extension, compiled from the research of Dr. Brent Loy at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, and corroborated by MOFGA. Varieties with their own documented figure are listed at that figure instead, in either direction. Seminole is the standout: UF/IFAS reports it keeping up to a year. Note that storing squash at ordinary room temperature, above 60 F, shortens keeping life.

Quick picks

Best overall for Kansas

Seminole Pumpkin, Autumn Frost F1, Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

Best vine borer resistant

Seminole Pumpkin, Thai Kang Kob, Tahitian Melon Squash, Cushaw Green-Striped

Best mildew / disease resistance

Seminole Pumpkin, South Anna Butternut, Thai Kang Kob, New England Cheddar F1

Best for pies

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, Dickinson Pumpkin, Mrs. Amerson's Pumpkin, Sucrine du Berry

Best for winter storage

Tahitian Melon Squash, Waltham Butternut, Bakers Branch Butternut, Seminole Pumpkin

Best for small gardens

Honeynut Squash, Sucrine du Berry, Autumn Crown, Tromboncino

Best rare heirlooms

Black Futsu, Shishigatani, Magdalena Big Cheese, Violina Rugosa Butternut

Best for beginners

Seminole Pumpkin, Waltham Butternut, Honeynut Squash, Xiye Butternut

Shop Vine Borer Resistant  ·  All Seeds  ·  Kansas Garden Seeds guide

Quick questions

When do I plant pumpkins in Kansas?

Direct-sow once soil passes 70°F, usually mid to late May in Zone 6b. Count back from days-to-maturity so it finishes before fall.

Are moschata pumpkins really better against vine borers and mildew?

Their solid, vining stems root as they run, so a borer rarely kills the whole plant the way it does a hollow pepo pumpkin. The species also tends to hold up to powdery mildew better than pepo, though that is tolerance, not immunity. See the evidence links in the chart.

Which varieties have documented disease resistance?

Seminole resists both powdery and downy mildew (UF/IFAS), and South Anna Butternut was bred over a decade specifically for downy mildew resistance (SARE / Common Wealth). Both are linked in the sources below.

Ready to pick? Shop the full All Seeds collection or narrow to Vine Borer Resistant varieties. Every order ships from our small family seed farm in Newton, Kansas.

Autumn Prairie Pumpkins is a small Kansas seed company. Resistance means a better fighting chance, not immunity; results depend on your soil, timing, and season.