How To Grow Heirloom Musquee de Provence Pumpkins

My harvest the first week of October.

While my focus is the Musquee de Provence (Cucurbita moschata) pumpkin, my growing guide can be applied to any pumpkin.

Slightly flattened deeply lobed pumpkin shaped like large wheels of cheese. Some folks refer to them as cheese wheel pumpkins or fairy tail pumpkins. They start out green and over time ripen to a rich orange brown. The edible flesh is deep orange in color, thick, and very flavorful. Pies made with the Musquee de Provence are a beautiful orange color. It is also well suited for soups, breads, and more. I even add some to my pumpkin goat milk soap and to my cats food.

Musquee d Provence originates in Southern France during the late 1800's. When fully ripe, they typically weigh about 20lbs each.

Growing Guide

Botanical Name: Cucurbita moschata

Start indoors: 3-4 weeks before the last frost
Sow outside (direct sow): 2-3 weeks after the last frost
Soil Temperature For Germination: 70-95°F
Size: 10-20' sprawl
Zone: 3-10
Sun: Full
Water: Moist, Well Drained, Fertile
Soil pH: 6-6.8
Seed Planting Depth: 1"
Seed Spacing: 6-12"
Days to Germination: 7-14
Thinning: 2-3' in rows 4-6' apart
Days to Harvest: 100-110

Pumpkins are very thirsty plants. They need about 1" of water per day. I have successfully grown pumpkins during a severe drought. I had to hand water each plant thoroughly every single day. I focus on the main hub of the plant. During a drought, there are a lot less fruits. Drip irrigation is great if you can afford it. Pumpkin foliage can get diseases when wet. The fruits can rot if too wet as well.

If the soil your maturing fruits are resting on seem excessively wet due to poor draining soil (pumpkins prefer moist, well drained soil), you can try to prop up the fruits to get them off of the wet ground. Sometimes cardboard will work. Although this will also give squash bugs a great place to hide. Squash Cradles can be purchased that gently keep the fruits off the soil. While these can be a bit of an investment up front, squash cradles can be re-used over many growing seasons.

Aside from being heavy drinkers, pumpkins are also heavy feeders. You want a compost rich, moist, well draining soil for optimal results. If you can grow your pumpkins on a gentle incline, this will greatly help to keep water from pooling. The more optimal your growing environment is for your pumpkin plants, the less extras you will need, making growing easier and more affordable.

Insect Control:
Floating row cover, barrier netting, or remove by hand as needed.
I find that floating row cover is much more durable and lasts longer. The downside is that it's not easy to see through and harder to water through although it is permeable. Barrier netting is easy peasy to see through and water through. The downside is that it is easy to damage and not as long lasting.

Note: Row cover and barrier netting can only be used on young plants. You will need to remove when the plants flower so that they can be pollinated by insects.

If necessary, protect leaves and flowers from deer and protect the fruits from wildlife. With my rural environment, protection is a must. As a result I've been using deer fencing for nearly two decades. I haven't found anything that works better to keep all my crops safe, including my pumpkins.

Seed Savers:
Pumpkins easily cross pollinate with other squash. To ensure true seeds, either plant only one type of squash per growing season. Or cover each blossom so that insects cannot access the flowers and hand pollinate the blossoms yourself, then re-cover until fruits begin to form.

Harvest:
When mature, not earlier. The color will typically turn a deep orange-brown with threads of green. The stems and rinds harden. The rind will sound hollow when you gently knock on it. If a fingernail pressed into the skin resists puncture, it is ripe.
Carefully cut the fruit off of the vine, do not twist or tear. Leave 3-4" of stem to increase storage life.

Cure:
Place in a critter safe, sunny spot for about a week with temperatures and humidity both around 80-85°F.

Store:
Ideally in a cool dry root cellar if possible. If this is not possible, choose an area that is as close as possible to this environment. 50-55°F for about 2 to 3 months.
I successfully store mine in a cool dark corner of my cabin on the lower floor. I stack them about 3-4 fruits high.

Enjoy:
Like other hard-skinned winter squash, pumpkins can be stored whole, roasted, made into purées, and frozen. You can also roast and eat the seeds.

Note of Caution: Home canning is not considered safe for pumpkins. I roast, purée, drain with a yogurt cheese maker (pumpkins have a lot of water), put into quart sized glass mason canning jars, remove as many air pockets as I can, cover with a bit of waxed paper (to reduce freezer burn), put on a lid, then freeze*.
*Don't forget to leave space in your freezer jar for expansion. I usually leave at least 2" so the jar doesn't crack.

I like to use quart size jars for freezing. They are easier for recipe sizes and thawing. For making pumpkin pie, I will take out two quart jars, drain a second time, then use the amount I need for baking. If I have any left over, I re-freeze in a smaller canning jar (either a pint or jelly depending on what I have left).

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