Organic Pumpkin Vert Olive - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds - Cucurbita maxima

Cucurbita maxima Olive Green is an ancient variety that produces spherical fruits weighing 3 to 6kg with smooth, olive-green skin. Its delicious yellow flesh is firm and of very good quality, making it ideal for preparing gratins, soufflés, and fritters. Sow the seeds from April to June and harvest from September-October. The fruits can be easily stored until January.

It produces 3 to 4 fruits per plant, each weighing 3 to 5kg.

Pumpkins and squash belong to the Cucurbitaceae family and the species Cucurbita maxima. This herbaceous annual plant has long, vigorous, trailing, or climbing stems with the help of strong tendrils. Each plant has separate male and female flowers, making it monoecious. The female flowers produce the fruits once fertilised by the pollen from the male flowers.

They come in many shapes and colours, from large ribbed fruits with orange or red skin and orange flesh, to oblong shapes, pear shapes, or "Turkish hat" shapes. Originally from South America, this species is said to have been introduced to Europe around the 16th or 17th century, along with its cousins, other species of Cucurbita. They are often wrongly called "pumpkins" even though they belong to a different species, Cucurbita pepo, with stringy flesh and a hard, fibrous stem. As for the pumpkin, it has sweet, tasty flesh that is less stringy, with a tender and spongy stem.

Pumpkins are low in calories but rich in vitamins, trace elements, and potassium. They are known for their antioxidant properties.

Harvesting and storage

Harvest the pumpkins as late as possible, but before the first frost arrives. Keep a piece of stem attached to the fruit. Store them in a temperate room (10 to 15°C (50 to 59°F)), ensuring they do not touch each other. They can be stored for a few months, and even up to a year.

The gardener's tip

To save space and protect your fruits from rot, pumpkins can be grown vertically on supports such as a fence or sturdy stakes. If you let your pumpkins run, consider placing a tile, brick, or a thick layer of straw between the ground and the fruit to isolate it from moisture and prevent it from rotting.