Squash and Pumpkin Seeds
Growing suggestions for squash and pumpkin seeds
Sow your squash and pumpkin seeds in pots indoors from April and plant out in May; or sow direct in May. Squashes are very cold sensitive so cover the plants with fleece if there is a danger of frost.
Squashes are hungry and benefit from a good dose of manure or compost added to the soil before planting. They also do well planted straight into the compost heap!
Squash and pumpkin growing calendar
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | ||||||||||||
| Transplant | ||||||||||||
| Harvest |
Crop history
Squashes and pumpkins originate in Central and North America where they have a long history of use as food, medicine and material for weaving mats. The term pumpkin is used interchangeably with the term winter squash and comes from the Greek word “pepon” meaning melon. Squashes and pumpkins belong to the cucurbit family and are closely related to courgettes, melons and cucumbers. We tend think of pumpkins as a vegetable, but it is biologically considered a fruit.
Showing all 8 results
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Squash, Winter – Red Kuri (Organic)
£2.80 – £5.50 Choose pack sizeSquash, Winter – Red Kuri (Organic)
A bright orange, chestnut flavoured, smallish winter squash of 1 – 1.5kg weight. With its orange red skin and golden flesh, Red Kuri is a tasty globe of autumn glory. Firm but smooth, sweet and nutty, rich, creamy – you get the idea! It is Ronja’s mum’s favourite squash because you can cook it without having to peel it, and also for its fabulous flavour and good storage qualities.
This style of squash originates in Japan but has gained popularity in many other countries like the UK. We love growing squash and they are easy to grow, happy trailing across the ground or up a structure.
(Approximate seed count – 12)
£2.80 – £5.50 -
Winter Squash – Oregon Homestead Sweet Meat (Organic)
£2.65 Add to basketWinter Squash – Oregon Homestead Sweet Meat (Organic)
A large, beautiful, and delicious hubbard-type pumpkin, with excellent storage qualities . This is a variety bred by Carol Deppe in Corvallis, Oregon in the USA. She spent years selecting for vigour, good cool-soil emergence, small seed cavity and premium flavour. We believe this variety is a serious contender to Crown Prince F1. It is quite a large variety with a crunchy, sweet flavour. They were extremely prolific in our 2018 squash trials and Ronja’s clear favourite in taste. They are great for cooking and even raw they are a real pleasure to munch on.
(Approximate seed count – 10)
£2.65 -
Winter squash – Meruhen (Organic)
£2.50 Add to basketWinter squash – Meruhen (Organic)
Fantastic green kabocha type (Green Hokkaido) squash originally from Japan, producing an abundance of 1kg fruits. Meruhen is a fantastic variety of winter squash with exceptionally sweet flesh – maybe even sweeter than butternut. The fruits are quite round, and are mainly dark green with lighter green/grey stripes. We think its best eaten roasted with a drizzle of olive oil and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
(Approximate seed count – 10)£2.50 -
Winter squash – Black Futsu (Organic)
£2.85 Add to basketWinter squash – Black Futsu (Organic)
An easy-to-grow prolific variety from Japan, producing round black fruits, incredibly rich in flavour. The mature fruits can weigh between 1 – 3kg and are deeply ribbed with flattened tops, turning an orange colour in storage. They store well but given the exceptional flavour you will get through them quickly! The deep amber-coloured flesh tastes creamy and nutty. Best roasted with salt, pepper and oil.
(Approximate seed count – 12)£2.85 -
Winter squash – Desert Spirit Landrace (Organic)
£2.85 Add to basketWinter squash – Desert Spirit Landrace (Organic)
Beautifully diverse new landrace with amazing flavours, textures and colours. Bred and created by the folks at Wild Mountain Seeds in USA, the Desert Spirit has many varieties in its heritage, including Buttercup, our beloved Oregon Homestead Sweet Meat and others.
The great diversity of genes will make a beautiful range of colours and shapes with amazing flavours. We are excited to be offering such an enthusiastically bred strain of a landrace squash.
Apparently it is as vigorous as it is delicious with excellent storing qualities.
(Approximate seed count – 10)
£2.85 -
Winter squash – Delicata Zeppelin (Organic)
£2.50 Add to basketWinter squash – Delicata Zeppelin (Organic)
Delicata squashes are famous for their sweet flavour when roasted. This superb selection (known as Zeppelin) has been improved by Frank Morton and his crew of plant wizards at Wild Garden Seed in the USA, and is a total winner.
Delicata squashes do not store well so are best eaten before Christmas.
(Approximate seed count – 6)
£2.50 -
Patty Pan – Custard White (Organic) ***NEW FOR 2024***
£2.95 Add to basketPatty Pan – Custard White (Organic) ***NEW FOR 2024***
Creamy white disc-shaped fruits with a scalloped edge and fine flavour. The plants with a bushy growth habit make delicious flying saucer shaped fruits, 6 – 7 cm in diameter that are classed as summer squash (don’t store for more than 1-2 weeks). The skin of this variety is white and its flesh cream coloured and delicately flavoured. They are best harvested when young, this will encourage the plants to make lots more fruits too.
(Approximate seed count – 20)£2.95 -
Summer Squash – Lemon (Organic) ***NEW FOR 2024***
£2.50 Add to basketSummer Squash – Lemon (Organic) ***NEW FOR 2024***
A trailing summer squash variety producing an abundance of lemon-sized and shaped fruits. This is a very interesting variety of summer squash which sits somewhere between a patty pan and a courgette. Its flesh is slightly denser than a typical courgette and is extremely tasty. A definite star of the veg patch and will keep on producing until the last frosts.
(Approximate seed count – 20)£2.50
Showing all 8 results
