Rare, Open-pollinated & Heirloom Garden Seeds

When laying out your garden remember that pumpkin vines require a considerable amount of space.  Harvest time will vary by type but they are generally harvested in late fall after they are fully mature and the skins have toughened, stored in a cool, dry location, and used into the winter.  Click here for harvesting and storage information.

If you are seeking to grow large pumpkins, try 'Atlantic Giant' or 'Big Max'.  If you are interested in growing record winners, do an internet search and look for seeds with pedigrees of record winners.  This is out of the scope of our seed preservation work.  Here are some interesting factoids regarding giant pumpkins⁽¹⁾:

• A pumpkin vine can grow three feet overnight.
• Pumpkins can gain thirty pounds in one day.
• The world record in 1903 was 403 pounds.
• The world record in 2004 was 1,446 pounds.
• The world record was never broken between 1903 and 1978.
• The world record has been broken six times in the past six years (2004)!

[ Click here for basic seed saving tips ]

Atlantic Giant (C. maxima)
120 days — If you are going for a "giant" pumpkin, this is the variety that the pros use to set records.  400 to 500 pound fruits are common, but the record (as of 2004) is 1,446 lbs.!  Bred by Howard Dill of Nova Scotia, these huge fruits have slightly rough skin that ranges in color from yellow to red-orange. As you may have guessed, these babies need a lot of room and are not for the container gardener. Space hills fifteen to twenty feet apart in an area that receives full sun and is protected from wind.  About four seeds per gram.

Big Max (C. maxima)
120 days — The bright yellow orange flesh is three to four inches thick. Suitable for pies. They will commonly grow to fifty to seventy pounds and with some attention, will surpass one hundred pounds. Big Max needs plenty of room to grow. About six seeds per gram.

Click  for a larger view of these 'Big Max' pumpkins grown & photographed by J.C. of Ontario, Canada. He gets his to the 100 lb. mark.

Cinderella (Rouge Vif D’Etampes) (C. maxima)
95 days — A French heirloom that is very productive and beautiful. The fruits are flattened, deeply ribbed, and concave on top. They average fifteen inches across and only six inches high weighing up to twenty five pounds. The skin color is a brilliant reddish-orange and have an excellent flavor for pies or winter squash recipes.

Connecticut Field (C. pepo)
110 days — This Native American heirloom has a history predating 1700. Large fifteen to twenty pound globes that are flattened on the ends. Typically twelve inches in height and diameter. The rind is hard but thin and slightly ribbed. The flesh is sweet, thick and course. Can be planted among your cornfield and used for canning or as stock feed.  Click here for Fearing Burr's description.

Jack O'Lantern (C. pepo)
100 days — This variety originated as a cross between 'Connecticut Field' with 'Golden Oblong'.  The intent was to produce a pumpkin the size of a human head.  The fruit tend to be about ten inches in diameter and between ten and eighteen pounds that are medium-orange with shallow ribs.  The flesh is sweet, light in color, and fine-grained enough to be a good quality cooking variety.  Also stores well.

Small Sugar or New England Pie
(C. pepo)
110 days — Outstanding for processing and pumpkin pies.  The fruit is six to eight inches in diameter and weighs about six pounds.  The flesh is thick and sweet and has been one of our family's canning favorites for years.