9 Mini-Pumpkin Varieties You Should Plant Now for Fall
By planting miniature pumpkins in spring and early summer, we can enjoy the long-maturing treats by fall. Both ornamental and edible, the captivating squashes delight to no end as diminutive versions of the classic seasonal favorites. In a range of colors and shapes, the perfectly proportioned minis bring big joy in a small form.
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Miniature pumpkins are a delight come harvest season when they charm the doorstep, table display, and autumnal pots with their adorable small scale. They’re also delicious, offering up the perfect single-serving bowl of roasted goodness. To contrast epically giant pumpkins, these little darlings are easy to care for and oh-so cute.
While fall is in the distance and we’re enjoying spring, sowing these winter squashes now brings a ready yield later in the season. The little cucurbits take time to develop. They store well, bringing plenty of enjoyment as Halloween nears and beyond. Not as spooky as their carved relatives, the petite gourds with names to match their size like ‘Baby Boo’ and ‘Casperita’ make trick-or-treaters of all ages smile.
Bundle the minis for an abundant display as they overflow a tablescape, bowl, or planter. Feature the vines and fruits in containers, growing them vertically for space-saving and visual appeal. Partner them with larger pumpkins to anchor the look while brimming with good fall cheer. The dynamic little squashes come in varied colors and shapes for big interest in a small package.
Mini-Pumpkins as Winter Squashes
Winter squashes, like butternuts and pumpkins, mature in late summer and fall. They take time to form their hefty fruits with thick skins. Miniature pumpkins are, of course, much smaller than their large, carveable relatives and bumpy-skinned ornamental relatives. Their more compact vines produce multiple fruits, making them ideal for small spaces and growing in containers. They also mature more quickly than large selections and are good for growing areas with short seasons.
Easily grown from seed, sow winter squash in spring or early summer to yield the autumn harvest. They grow beautifully on vertical supports like trellises and arches, and in raised beds and pots.
The cucurbits grow best in full sun, with six hours or more of daily sunlight. They prefer organically rich, moist, and well-draining soils. Store them post-harvest, enjoy them in fall decor, and pick those with good flavor for savory suppers.
‘Jack Be Little’
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botanical name Cucurbita pepo ‘Jack Be Little’ |
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height 3-5’ vines |
This winsome miniature pumpkin is ideal for trellising in containers as a specimen plant to brighten the fall porch. ‘Jack Be Little’ is a hearty producer of six to ten fruits per plant. These pumpkins are among the smallest, at three to four inches in diameter and two inches high.
‘Jack Be Little’ cheers on the vine and as decoration, but they’re also good eating minis. Stuff them with herbs, cheese, and other veggies for a ready bowl. They have an exceptional shelf life, storing for up to a year.
The small fruits grow on compact, manageable vines. To plant the mini-pumpkins in containers, choose a five-gallon or larger pot at least 18 inches deep. ‘Jack Be Little’ matures in 95 days.
‘Sugar Pie’
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botanical name Cucurbita pepo ‘Sugar Pie’ |
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height 8-15’ vines |
There’s not much sweeter than a mini heirloom pumpkin that’s also as delicious as pie. This one is perfect for baking and adding to savory dishes, too. ‘Sugar Pie’ is a sugar pumpkin from the 1800s and remains a favorite for its flavor and long storage life. Sugar pumpkins are a description for winter squashes that are particularly sweet with dense, fine flesh.
Each red-orange round reaches six to seven inches around and weighs four to five pounds. Bred for cooking, their smooth, thick, fine-grained flesh is versatile in the kitchen. They’re also big enough to carve or to use as tabletop decor.
‘Sugar Pie’ stores for months. Harvest them in 95 to 115 days from sowing.
‘Black Kat’
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botanical name Cucurbita pepo ‘Black Kat’ |
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height 6-8’ vines |
‘Black Kat’ brings drama with a captivating dark green-to-black, ribbed exterior. From stem to base, the dark variety transitions from green to near black as it matures and ripens.
Each ‘Black Kat’ mini-pumpkin measures three and a half to four and a half inches across. They weigh one to two pounds and have bright orange flesh. Not only striking in the display, they’re also edible. The vines resist powdery mildew and mature early at 75 to 80 days.
‘Black Kat’ brings high contrast among ornamental grasses and flowering perennials and annuals in the autumnal arrangement. Pair them with other gourds and squashes for dynamic variation.
‘Casperita’
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botanical name Cucurbita pepo ‘Casperita’ |
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height 6-8’ vines |
‘Casperita’ brings a touch of haunting beauty in pure white. The little rounds are crisp, clean, and a blank slate for painting and decorating, and for pairing with more colorful selections. Create easy elegance with other gourds in white, buff, and warm peach for a soft look.
Each ‘Casperita’ fruit is four to four and a half inches wide and weighs less than a pound. Fresh green stems punctuate the milky exterior and add interest. Leave three inches of stem attached when harvesting and storing pumpkins to preserve the integrity of the fruit.
‘Casperita’ is productive and resists powdery mildew and watermelon mosaic virus. Like ‘Black Kat,’ they mature in just over 75 days and are edible.
‘Seminole’
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botanical name Cucurbita moschata ‘Seminole’ |
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height 25’ |
Seminole pumpkins, a moschata species with long, sprawling vines, bring a twist to our mini varieties. These heritage selections cultivated by multiple tribes in Florida, including the Seminole, Creek, Miccosukee, Muscogee, and Calusa, are tolerant of hot, humid conditions and perform well in southern climates.
The large vines produce six-inch fruits with buff-colored skin and firm, deep orange flesh. The flavor is sweeter than butternut squash and is a good substitute for traditional pumpkins. Harvest in autumn or pick young and early fruits for summer squash.
The cultivar features excellent mildew resistance and tough stems to defend against moths and caterpillars like squash vine borers. The mature pumpkins weigh six to twelve pounds. Feature these heirlooms amongst others in the display, and enjoy them on the plate.
‘Wee-B-Little’
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botanical name Cucurbita pepo ‘Wee-B-Little’ |
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height 6-15’ vines |
‘Wee-B-Little’ bears baseball-sized, deep orange rounds and is the first mini orange pumpkin. The 1999 All-America Selections Winner has smooth skin, perfect for painting and decorating. Each little cucurbit weighs eight ounces to one pound.
Long maturing, ‘Wee-B-Little’ is ready in 95 to 120 days. It has a good flavor for baking as a mature fruit. Vines are bushy, making them good for upright growing and closer spacing for productive yields.
‘Spark’
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botanical name Cucurbita pepo ‘Spark’ |
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height 4-5’ vines |
‘Spark’ brightens with bright golden yellow mini-pumpkins with orange stripes and splashes. The flattened fruits are very uniform, at three and a half inches in diameter and two inches tall. The small squashes weigh only about half a pound.
‘Spark’ has sturdy stems from vigorous, productive vines that resist powdery mildew. They peak in about 90 days. Save this one for pure ornament rather than fresh eating.
‘Red Kuri’
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botanical name Cucurbita maxima ‘Red Kuri’ |
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height 4-6’ vines |
‘Red Kuri’ is so pretty with smooth skin in rich red-orange that it makes the list as a winter squash to pair with other mini-pumpkins. Also called ‘Orange Hokkaido’ or ‘Baby Red Hubbard,’ these are popular for their creamy texture and chestnut flavor. With compact vines and slightly earlier development (95 days), they’re good options for short-growing seasons in cold climates.
‘Red Kuri’ is a fit for containers and small spaces, producing three-to-four-pound teardrop-shaped fruits. The melon orange fruits are sweet like pumpkins.
‘Red Kuri’ is a Japanese variety (kuri means “chestnut”) that produces two to five fruits per plant. They’re ideal for steaming, roasting, and baking.
‘Pumpkin on a Stick’
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botanical name Solanum aethiopicum |
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height 3-4’ |
Pumpkin-on-a-stick is not a true pumpkin, but its disguise makes it worth including on our list. The centuries-old ornamental is an eggplant with beguiling pumpkin-shaped fruits that dangle from woody stems.
Pumpkin-on-a-stick is decorative and also edible, especially in its early stages, with a mild, peppery flavor that’s good for stir-frying. They resemble squatty green tomatoes in their early development. As they ripen and mature, they turn vibrant orange-red and bring their tiny pumpkin appeal (though their flavor is bitter at this stage).
The globes are ornamental in fresh floral arrangements, and the fresh-cut stems have a long vase life of two to four weeks. Or, dry them to use for years of decoration. To dry the stems and fruits, harvest the branches and hang them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight until the stems and leaves are completely dry. In warm, dry climates, they’ll dry on the plant.
