Pumpkins, Gourds
& Melons
67 cucurbit varieties — giant pumpkins, rare gourds, sweet melons, striped watermelons, zucchini, cucumbers, luffa sponge. All open-pollinated. From €2.75 per pack.
One Family, Six Directions
The family Cucurbitaceae — cucurbits — is one of the most economically important plant families on earth, providing food, water vessels, musical instruments, and sponges across every culture that encountered them. All share the same vine-and-tendril growth form, the same large yellow flowers, and the same extraordinary range of fruit size: from the 5 g West Indian Gherkin to the 100 kg Giant Hundred Pound Pumpkin, all within the same botanical family.
The 67 varieties in this collection span six distinct groups: pumpkins and winter squash, zucchini and summer squash, melons (including rare Turkmen, Vietnamese, and Italian types), watermelons (yellow-fleshed, cream, orange, and striped), cucumbers (slicing, pickling, Chinese, and ornamental), and specialty gourds including Luffa sponge gourd and Wax Gourd (Benincasa). All are open-pollinated heirlooms — seed-saveable year after year.
Cucurbits are among the most geographically diverse crops: pumpkins originate in the Americas (domesticated in Mexico 8,000–10,000 years ago), melons in Central Asia and Africa, watermelons in the Kalahari Desert, luffa in South and Southeast Asia, and wax gourd across tropical Asia. Growing this collection is an edible map of pre-Columbian and Silk Road agriculture.
All cucurbit seeds are packed fresh and sealed in moisture-proof foil. Cucurbit seed viability is excellent — correctly stored pumpkin and melon seed remains viable for 4–6 years at room temperature, cucumber and zucchini for 3–5 years. Dispatched within 2–3 business days to 50+ countries. About our sourcing →
Six Cucurbit Groups
Species, growth habit, and what makes each group worth growing — from edible giants to ornamental curiosities.
The broadest group in the catalogue — spanning the 60 kg Hundred Pound Giant (S6) down to the fist-sized Crumb (S7) and decorative miniatures. C. maxima types (Arabat, Volga Grey, Medicinal) have the sweetest flesh and longest storage. C. moschata (Butternut/Waltham, Muscat Vitamin) are the most flavourful for cooking. Kabocha Kikuza (S23) is a Japanese C. maxima with dense, dry, chestnut-like flesh. All need a minimum 90-day frost-free season.
The most productive cucurbit per unit area — a single zucchini plant can yield 15–25 fruits per season when harvested young at 15–20 cm. Round varieties (Zucchini Ball, K3) are particularly suited to containers. Spaghetti Zucchini Caruso (K1) is botanically a winter squash eaten like a summer vegetable — baked whole, the flesh separates into pasta-like strands. Zebra (K7) and Onyx (K6) are ornamental and edible. Yellow-fruited (K4) and Tintoretto (K5) are Italian heirlooms.
The most fragrant cucurbits — ripe melons produce over 200 volatile aromatic compounds. The collection spans: French Charente/Charentais (A9) — the benchmark aromatic melon; Central Asian types from Turkmenistan (A12) and the Silk Road market melon Piel de Sapo (A7, Spanish Christmas melon); the Russian Kolkhoznitsa (A2); and rare types including Vietnamese (A21), Dalmatian (A18), Honey Chrysanthemum (A19), and the Italian Carosello Manduria (Li15) — a cucumber-melon eaten unripe. All require sustained heat above 25°C and 75–90 days.
The most colour-diverse group — 11 varieties covering red-fleshed (Producer, Sugar Baby, Holodok, Charleston Grey, Gray Bell, Melon Watermelon hybrid), yellow-fleshed (Yellow Citrullus, A4), cream-fleshed (Cream Saskatchewan, A8 — the rarest), orange-fleshed (Orange Watermelon, A14), and cream-icecream (A16). Sugar Baby (A5) is the most compact at 3–5 kg per fruit and the best for short seasons at 80 days. Cream Saskatchewan is an heirloom variety with ivory flesh and exceptional sweetness.
The most price-accessible group — four varieties from €2.75. Types span: standard slicing (Phoenix F6, Chinese Snakes F8, Suyo Long F14); pickling/gherkin (Paris Gherkin F7, Bush DS2, Pickled DS3, Finger DS1, Baby DS4); ornamental-edible (Cucumber Watermelon F15 — striped skin, cucumber flesh); and the West Indian Gherkin Cucumis anguria (Li29) — a distinct species with spiny, golf-ball-sized fruit. Chinese Snakes reaches 30–50 cm and is best eaten at 20 cm. Suyo Long is a Japanese heirloom with ridged, burpless skin.
Three genera of specialty gourds: Lagenaria (bottle gourd — Calabash Turkish Turban S1, Serpentine S16, Mini Bottle S21, Giant Bottle S18) — hard-shelled when dry, historically used as water vessels; Cucurbita decorative (Kaleidoscope S17, Crown S19, Baby Boy S20, Print S14) — ornamental, not edible; and Luffa aegyptiaca (T214) — the sponge gourd, edible at 10–15 cm or dried and used as a natural loofah at full maturity. Wax Gourd / Benincasa (S22) is a massive (10–30 kg) winter-keeping Asian vegetable, unknown in Western gardening.
Key Varieties — Reference Table
Representative selection across all six groups. Full catalogue of 67 varieties in the shop.
| Variety | Group | SKU | Pack | Days to Harvest | Notable Trait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hundred Pound Pumpkin | Pumpkin | S6 | 5 seeds | 100–120 | 40–60 kg fruit, giant variety |
Butternut / Waltham | Winter squash | S2 | 5 seeds | 90–100 | Rich flavour, stores 6 months |
Kabocha Kikuza | Pumpkin | S23 | 5 seeds | 95–105 | Japanese, dry chestnut-like flesh |
Pink Banana Squash | Winter squash | S15 | 5 seeds | 100–110 | Jumbo elongated fruit, salmon-pink skin |
Wax Gourd / Benincasa | Specialty | S22 | 5 seeds | 90–110 | 10–30 kg, stores 1 year, Asian staple |
Zucchini Spaghetti Caruso | Zucchini | K1 | 10 seeds | 80–90 | Baked whole — flesh separates into strands |
Zucchini Ball | Zucchini | K3 | 10 seeds | 50–60 | Round, bush habit — best for containers |
Zucchini Zebra | Zucchini | K7 | 10 seeds | 50–60 | Striped skin, Italian heirloom |
Charente Melon / Charentais | Melon | A9 | 10 seeds | 75–80 | French benchmark, intense aroma |
Piel de Sapo | Melon | A7 | 10 seeds | 85–90 | |
Turkmenistan Melon | Melon | A12 | 10 seeds | 85–95 | Silk Road heirloom, very sweet |
Carosello Manduria | Melon | Li15 | 5 seeds | 55–65 | Italian — eaten unripe like a cucumber |
Sugar Baby Watermelon | Watermelon | A5 | 10 seeds | 80–85 | Compact 3–5 kg, best for short seasons |
Cream Saskatchewan | Watermelon | A8 | 5 seeds | 80–85 | Ivory flesh, exceptionally sweet, rare |
Yellow Watermelon | Watermelon | A4 | 10 seeds | 82–88 | Yellow flesh, milder flavour than red |
Phoenix Cucumber | Cucumber | F6 | 20 seeds | 55–60 | From €2.75 — most affordable in catalogue |
Chinese Snakes | Cucumber | F8 | 20 seeds | 58–65 | 30–50 cm, thin skin, no bitterness |
West Indian Gherkin | Cucumber | Li29 | 10 seeds | 60–70 | Distinct species — spiny, golf-ball size |
Luffa Sponge Gourd | Specialty | T214 | 5 seeds | 150+ (sponge) | Edible at 15 cm or dried as natural loofah |
Calabash / Turkish Turban | Gourd | S1 | 5 seeds | 100–120 | Bottle gourd — decorative, historically functional |
From Seed to Harvest
Four fundamentals that apply across all cucurbit families.
Sow Indoors 3–4 Weeks Before Last Frost — Not Earlier
Unlike tomatoes and peppers, cucurbits dislike root disturbance and grow fast — starting too early produces root-bound plants that sulk after transplanting. Sow 3–4 weeks before last frost date into individual 9 cm pots (not trays). Germination at 22–25°C takes 5–10 days. Transplant when the first true leaf appears and soil temperature is above 15°C. Melons and watermelons need soil above 20°C — wait longer or use black mulch film to warm the ground.
Hand-Pollinate for Reliable Fruit Set
Cucurbits produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious). The first 10–20 flowers are typically male; female flowers appear later and have a small immature fruit at the base. In poor weather or under cover where bees are absent, transfer pollen from a fully open male flower to the centre of an open female using a small brush or by rubbing flowers together. Do this before 10am. One successful pollination per female flower is sufficient — it takes 1–3 days to confirm fruit set.
Watering: Deep and Infrequent — Not Little and Often
Cucurbits have deep root systems that tolerate short dry spells better than most vegetables. Water deeply every 3–5 days (4–6 litres per plant for large pumpkins at peak growth) rather than shallow daily watering. Irregular moisture causes blossom end rot in melons and split fruit in watermelons. Stop watering pumpkins and winter squash 2 weeks before harvest — this concentrates sugars and hardens the skin for storage. Melons are ripe when the stem slips freely from the fruit with light pressure.
Harvest Timing Differs Completely Between Groups
Zucchini must be harvested young at 15–20 cm — at full size (30–40 cm) they become seedy and less flavourful. Winter squash and pumpkins are ready when the skin is hard enough to resist a thumbnail. Watermelons are ripe when the curly tendril nearest the fruit turns brown and dry, the underside changes from white to cream-yellow, and the fruit sounds hollow when tapped. Melons detach or slip from the stem with gentle pressure. Cucumbers are best at 15–20 cm; bitter compounds increase rapidly with size above this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Browse 67 Cucurbit Varieties
Pumpkins · Melons · Watermelons · Gourds · Zucchini · Cucumbers · from €2.75
oreshka-seeds.com · Open-pollinated · Sealed packets · 2–3 day dispatch