Casper Pumpkin Seeds

This friendly pumpkin makes a wonderful ornamental with its smooth, ghostly skin. Although mostly used for decoration, Casper’s dense orange flesh is sweet, excellent for cooking and baking. White pumpkins are a newer trend, recently being selectively bred for their pallid complexion. 

Casper grows to be 20-30 cm in diameter and weighs 4.5-7 kg, maturing in about 100 days. It is easy to grow and resistant to pests and powdery mildew. Casper has a corklike stem and less of a blue tinge than other white pumpkin varieties. 

Think of the white skin as a blank canvas for your spooky carvings or paintings. The otherworldly appearance of Casper will stand out and offer a chilling contrast to the otherwise bright colours of autumn. 

- Latin Name: Curcubita pepo
- Life Cycle: Annual
- Days to Maturity: 110
- Planting Depth: 2 cm
- Plant Spacing: 90 cm
- Row Spacing: 1.5-2 m
- Growth Habit: Vine

GROWING INSTRUCTIONS

Pumpkins are the quintessential, if unofficial, icon of autumn. Not only are they the embodiment of the fall, pumpkins are supremely nutritious and can be used in a number of ways. But to have a successful fall crop, vines and fruit must have long, hot seasons with space to spread out.

Sow seeds directly when soil temperatures reach 21°C. Pumpkins won’t tolerate cold. Pick a site with full sun and mix in plenty of compost ahead of planting. The bed should be of rich and well-drained soil, as pumpkins are heavy feeders. Seeds can be planted into small mounds, where the soil will stay warmer and drain well. Plant 4-5 seeds/mound 3 cm deep. Leave 1-2.5 m between mounds. With temperate soil, seeds should germinate in about a week.

When sprouts are 5-8 cm tall, thin to 2 or 3 vines per mound. Pumpkins will require a bit of water, at least 3 cm/week, and more when fruiting. Mulch around the plants to retain water and protect the shallow roots. Be careful not to harm roots when weeding or cultivating. Pruning and pinching the ends of vines are good strategies to concentrate energy into set fruit.

Choose a dry day to harvest. Pumpkins will store best when harvested fully mature. When fruit is deep orange and the skin is thick and firm, use a pair of clippers to cut the pumpkin from the vine. Leave a long stem to increase shelf life. Cure pumpkins for a couple weeks under the sun. After curing, store in a cool dry place, somewhere around 10°C.

Whether you want a canvas to carve spooky faces or bake homemade pies for Thanksgiving, make space for pumpkins in your home garden.

QUICK FACTS

- Native to North America, pumpkins are one of the oldest domesticated plants, having been cultivated as early as 7,500 BC.

- Pumpkin is a popular Halloween and Thanksgiving staple, and a traditional part of the fall harvest.

- Pumpkin seeds will remain viable for 4 years if stored in a cool, dark place, ideally between 4 and 10⁰C. After that, the germination rate may start to go down.