Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

Nature & Nurture Seeds

Cucurbita pepo

$5.99

Pkt(≈15 seeds)
Certified Organic

Roger Hartwell of Seed Savers’ Exchange dubs Winter Luxury “Pumpkin Pie’s Dream Come True,” and we couldn’t agree more! Winter Luxury goes back to 1893 by Johnson & Stokes of Philadelphia.

These pumpkins are a cheery, bright orange color, and have a distinctive netting covering the skin. They average 7 pounds, with approximately a 6-7” diameter, making them the perfect size for two pies. The flesh is smooth, creamy, and oh so sweet.. It doesn’t keep long, so either make your pies before Thanksgiving or purée and freeze the flesh for later pie making endeavors.

Winter Luxury plants are large, vining and very productive. Yields 3-4 pumpkins per vine. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves this year making Winter Luxury Pumpkin Pie, and invite you to try this delicious pumpkin pie recipe yourself!

Amy Goldman, author of The Compleat Squash, says about Winter Luxury, “Winter Luxury is my favorite orange pumpkin...[it] makes the smoothest and most velvety pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. When cut into a wedge on a plate, it holds its shape, color, and flavor long after the competition has keeled over and died.” We also like to roast and eat them like winter squash with a bit of butter. 

100 days to maturity

This pumpkin is a vining squash plant so allow plenty of space (4-6') for them to grow. Direct sow seeds outdoors (1/2-1” deep) around June 1st (space 4’ apart). Days to germination: 4-10. As with all cucurbits, squash plants do not like their roots disturbed during transplanting so if you are starting seeds indoors, use biodegradable pots. Start seeds indoors May 1st – ideal temperature for germination is 85°- 95° (use heating mat). Squash seedlings are sensitive to damping off fungus so keep germinating seeds on the drier side and use a fan (set to low) to provide air circulation. Once 2 leaves appear, grow plants at 72°. Do not let plants become potbound. Transplant (pot and all) outdoors aroundJune 1st, spaced 4’ apart. Squash like soil with a lot of organic matter so add compost and/or decomposed manure to soil prior to planting. Protect seedlings from cucumber beetles and squash bugs by covering seeds/seedlings with row cover fabric at planting and leave it on until plants are flowering. Protect squash plants from deer and groundhogs.