Permapotes
Squash

Pumpkin

Pumpkin: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

This winter squash belongs to Cucurbita maxima, in the Cucurbitaceae family. Its flesh appears in many savoury and sweet dishes, from soups to desserts. The large orange pumpkin often associated with the name represents only part of its diversity. The species also includes smaller winter squashes with distinctly different shapes, colours and textures, rather than one uniform kind of fruit.

The plant is a herbaceous annual. Many varieties develop long, trailing stems with tendrils, while some have a more compact habit. The large, often lobed leaves have a rough surface and cover a substantial area of ground. An adult plant’s outline therefore depends on its variety as well as its stage of growth. A relatively small squash can still be produced by a plant with widely spreading stems.

The flowers are large and yellow. A single plant carries separate male and female flowers. The female flowers have a swollen ovary at the base, which already resembles a tiny fruit before it develops further. Insects, especially bees, help transfer pollen between flowers. A plant covered in blossoms therefore does not automatically produce the same number of pumpkins: the flowers have different roles in reproduction.

Fruits may be rounded, flattened, ribbed or more elongated, with orange, red, green or blue-grey skin depending on the type. Inside, the flesh surrounds a cavity containing flattened seeds. Flesh thickness, density and colour all vary. Fruit weight alone cannot predict flavour, sweetness or texture, because the differences between varieties remain important. The familiar large orange form is consequently only one possible appearance.

Red Kuri and Buttercup both belong to this species. Red Kuri illustrates the smaller onion-type squashes, with orange-red fruits often shaped like a teardrop. These names identify selections or squash types rather than different botanical species. Everyday terms such as pumpkin and winter squash can cover different groups in different places, so the botanical name provides a more precise indication of the plant concerned.

In the kitchen, the flesh suits smooth soups, purées, gratins, risottos and roasted pieces. Its sweetness also has a place in pies and certain cakes, alongside spices or other aromatic ingredients. In the garden, the broad foliage, flowers and developing fruits create a substantial presence during the warm growing season. The term winter squash mainly refers to mature fruits intended for keeping, rather than a plant that normally grows outdoors through winter in every climate.

Pumpkin
Pumpkin
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
  • Mature height : 50 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 2 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 120 cm
  • Row Spacing : 120 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Moderate
  • Water Requirements : High
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Sowing