Our Story
Started with a seed packet and a Kansas dream
Autumn Prairie Pumpkins began in a Newton, Kansas backyard. What started as a handful of heirloom pumpkin seeds, planted on a whim and nurtured with care, grew into something bigger than we ever imagined.
We’re Christopher and family, and we believe that the best food comes from the ground you walk on. We grow and trial our varieties in Kansas, and hand-select from a handful of trusted small Kansas growers who share our standards. Every order is packed and inspected by hand.
More Than a Pumpkin Patch
Autumn Prairie Pumpkins began with seeds, soil, and an unreasonable enthusiasm for winter squash. The larger vision has grown into a prairie brand centered on good food, great coffee, useful everyday goods, and gathering around the market table. Pumpkins started the story, but they are only part of what we share.
We’re a human-first company
That phrase means something plain to us. Seeds are living things, and they pass from one pair of hands to another. We choose our seed the slow way, by people who garden rather than algorithms, and pack and check every order by hand in Newton, Kansas. We use good tools where they help, but a tool never picks the fruit, never reads your email, and never decides what matters. People do.
We started this because gardening did something for us that nothing else did. It is patient work, and it rewards showing up. On the days the world feels like too much, a row of seedlings asks only for water and light, and gives back more than it takes. So we try to make starting easy, tell the truth about what grows and what does not, and treat every grower like a neighbor instead of an order number.
As featured in the Newton Kansan
In June 2026, the Newton Kansan told our story: "Pumpkin passion grows into Newton micro-farm venture." Reporter Chad Frey wrote about how a love of squash, pumpkins, and problem solving grew into Autumn Prairie Pumpkins, and about our debut at the Newton farmers market. Come say hello at the next market, we will have seeds, coffee, and growing advice at the booth.
Why coffee?
Because every Kansas morning starts with a good cup. Our small-batch prairie coffee is roasted in Kansas and packed with the same care we put into our seeds. It’s the taste of a Kansas morning, shipped to your door.
Why soap?
Because the same hands that work the soil need a good bar at the end of the day. Our prairie soap is handmade in small batches by a maker we trust, in comforting scents like pumpkin spice, lavender lemongrass, and oatmeal milk and honey. We do not make grand claims about it. It is honest soap for the everyday home and garden, chosen to round out the market table.
Find us at the market
Pull up a chair at the market table. At our local farmers market booth you will find a rotating selection of seeds, coffee, and soap, plus fresh baked goods made for market day. Those baked goods are a local, market-only treat, they are not sold or shipped online. Come say hello at the farmers market.
What we’re building
This isn’t just a shop. We’re building a community around regenerative growing, permaculture principles, and the simple joy of putting something in the ground and watching it thrive. From food forest design to online seed-saving guides, we want to help you grow, whether you’ve got 40 acres or a single raised bed.
By the numbers
- 30+ heirloom varieties, grown and hand-selected for Zone 6b
- 5 small-batch coffees, packed by hand in Kansas
- 180 growing days, our season, your opportunity
- USDA Zone 6b, Newton, Kansas
- Certified Wildlife Habitat, NWF #341952
A Certified Wildlife Habitat
In 2026 our patch of Kansas was certified as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat (#341952), in partnership with the Kansas Wildlife Federation. To us it says out loud what we have always believed: a garden is not a product, it is a system. The same beds that grow our heirloom pumpkins and squash also feed the bees, shelter the butterflies, and give the birds a place to land. We grow for the harvest and for everything that lives alongside it. When you plant our seeds, you grow a little piece of that habitat too.
Get in touch
Questions about seeds, coffee, or growing in Kansas? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out at info@autumnprairiepumpkins.com or find us on Instagram.
Curious how we keep our seed strong? Read about our seed quality and germination testing.
