Jack Be Little Pumpkin - Seeds

Jack Be Little Pumpkin - Seeds

$5.80
$5.80
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Jack Be Little Pumpkin - Seeds
  • Jack Be Little Pumpkin - Seeds
  • Jack Be Little Pumpkin - Seeds
Jack Be Little Pumpkin - Seeds

Jack Be Little Pumpkin - Seeds

$5.80
$5.80

Minimum 15 seeds per packet.

Postage included. Bundle to save. Raised from heirloom seed at Turtledove Farm.

Cucurbita pepo


A palm-sized miniature pumpkin, bright orange, flattened and deeply ribbed, about 7–8cm across and around 100g. Each vigorous vine carries six to eight fruit. It's decorative and edible. Cured whole, the fruit lasts for months on a shelf or table. In the kitchen, bake it whole, cut a lid off the top and stuff it with a savoury filling or a baked custard, or serve a single portion of soup in it. The flesh is sweet and nutty, and the small size means no cutting up a big pumpkin and no waste. The fruit is light enough to grow up a trellis without slings. Trailing vine — give it room to run or train it up a sturdy trellis.

Days to harvest90–100 days from sowing
Fruit sizeFlattened, ribbed miniature pumpkin, 7–8cm across, 5cm tall, around 100g
Sowing depth2–2.5cm
Germination6–10 days at soil temperature 21–30°C
SpacingMounds 1.5–1.8m apart, two plants per mound
AspectFull sun; deep, well-drained soil rich in organic matter
Frost toleranceSensitive to frost at both ends of the season. Sow after the last frost and harvest before the first frost.
LifecycleAnnual
Container suitableYes

Growing notes

A warm, sunny position with room to run suits it best. The vine sets its fruit through summer, and the pumpkins need the full season to colour and harden their skins for keeping.

Soil preparation: Dig in plenty of well-rotted compost and aged manure. Pumpkins are heavy feeders, so build the bed before sowing and top-dress as the vine takes off.

Sowing method: Sow 3–4 seeds per mound 2–2.5cm deep, direct into warm soil, and thin to the two strongest seedlings. To raise seedlings for transplanting, use large pots and handle the root ball intact, since pumpkins resent root disturbance.

Support: Left to trail, the vine runs 2–3m. It can also be trained up a sturdy trellis or fence. The small fruit hangs on its own stem with no slings needed, which saves ground space in a smaller garden.

Containers: Grows in a large pot of 50L or more if a trellis is set behind it. Keep water and feed consistent, as pots dry out quickly in summer.

Watering & feeding: Water deeply and consistently at the base. Overhead watering invites powdery mildew. Side-dress with well-rotted manure or a balanced liquid feed once flowering starts.

Harvest: Pick once the skin is a deep, even orange, the stem has dried and gone corky, and the skin resists a fingernail. Cut with a short handle of stem attached. Cure somewhere warm, dry and airy for 1–2 weeks before storing. Well-cured fruit keeps for many months indoors.

Timing: Fruit ready around 90–100 days from sowing.

Short season tips


Direct sow into warm ground from mid-spring to early summer once frost risk has passed. In Coonabarabran and similar inland zones, that means mid-November onwards. If time is tight, start seed indoors in large pots 3–4 weeks before transplanting. A black weed mat under the vine warms the soil and buys extra days at both ends of the season.

Origin


An American miniature pumpkin that began in 1977, when an Indiana farmer brought a batch of tiny pumpkins to the seed growers at Hollar Seeds in Rocky Ford, Colorado. Several years of selection made it reliably small and evenly coloured, and it was released to gardeners in the late 1980s. It's younger than most heirlooms but open-pollinated and grown true from saved seed, and it has become one of the best-loved autumn pumpkins in home gardens.

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