Pumpkin-ripeness advice from Christopher Snow
Lilly Blomquist asked Christopher Snow of Autumn Prairie Pumpkins about judging pumpkin ripeness, including rind firmness and the limits of the knock test.
Press
Autumn Prairie Pumpkins is a family seed business in Newton, Kansas. Read coverage of our garden, our growing advice and the people behind the packets.
In the news
A Newton backyard and seeds for gardeners nationwide
Sheridan Wimmer visited our garden to tell the story of the pumpkins, trellises and seed-saving work behind Autumn Prairie Pumpkins.
Meet the family behind Autumn Prairie Pumpkins
Ainsley Pecenka's member feature introduces our Newton family business and the growing and seed-saving work that came first.
Pumpkin passion grows into a Newton micro-farm
Chad Frey's local coverage introduces the Snows and their micro-farm venture. The publisher provides a public preview; the full story requires subscriber access.
Harvey County Now
Planting a Seed
Snow couple grows culinary pumpkin, coffee, soap business
“Christopher and Maggie Snow might as well have their last names be ‘Autumn.’ They were married in October…”
Harvey County Now ran the story on the front page, above the fold. Wendy Nugent visited the microfarm in Newton and wrote about how a backyard patch of culinary pumpkins turned into a seed company, a coffee line and a soap bench. Her photograph of the cattle panel tunnel, squash still hanging in their slings, took the top half of page one.
Read the article at Harvey County Now (subscriber access)
In gardening guides
Autumn Prairie Pumpkins is included in Common Sense Home's heirloom seed-company guide, which brings together author selections and reader recommendations.
From the story to your garden
Start with our pumpkin harvest guide, explore our Kansas harvest gallery, or choose pumpkin seeds for your own patch.
For media
Writing about heirloom seeds, vine borer resistant varieties, Kansas growing, or small food businesses? We are glad to talk, and we can send photos.
- Contact: Reach us here
- Location: Newton, Kansas, Harvey County
- What we do: Heirloom and hybrid pumpkin and squash seeds, with a focus on Cucurbita moschata, plus coffee and cold process soap
- Why moschata: Solid stems instead of hollow ones, which makes these varieties resistant to the squash vine borer. Resistant, not immune
- Shipping: Seeds, coffee and soap ship nationwide
