Squash, Pumpkin, and Gourd Varieties

Squash, Pumpkin, and Gourd Varieties

​The Cucurbita genus, the focus of this blog post, includes squash, pumpkins, and gourds. Species in the Cucurbita genus include C. argyrosperma, C. ficifolia, C. maxima, C. moschata, and C. pepo. Some gourds, such as the Birdhouse gourds, belong to the Lagenaria siceraria species. These gourds have a tough, almost rectangular seed that differs from typical squash, pumpkin, and gourd species seeds. For more information on species in the Cucurbita genus, please see my previous blog post.

​Here, I list many commonly available varieties of summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins, and gourds, and I hope to add more as I try more varieties. These charts are a reference guide to determine if the varieties are open-pollinated (OP) or hybrid (F1), their days to maturity, the species they belong to, and various notes on the variety that may be of interest. Days to maturity are only approximations. The number of days can change depending on what USDA zone you live in, a particular microclimate, the weather, and other environmental factors. The species each variety belongs to is important if you are planting more than one variety of the same species and wish to save seed. I also differentiated between pumpkins and winter squash. Although this is somewhat arbitrary, I organized the pumpkins into a group including those with the traditional pumpkin shape. While all the winter squash listed are edible, only some pumpkins are edible. Some pumpkins, while technically edible, would not be tasty.

Summer Squash/Zucchini Varieties

Common Name	OP or F1	Days to Maturity	Species	Notes
Black Beauty	OP	50-55	C. pepo	Traditional dark green zucchini
Cocozelle	OP	53	C. pepo	Similar to Romanesco but less ribbed/blocky; striped; better flavor than traditional zucchini
Early Prolific Straightneck	OP	70	C. pepo	Pale yellow, similar to yellow crookneck but lacking the curved neck
Eight Ball	F1	40	C. pepo	Round, pool ball-shaped green zucchini; many other similar varieties including Cue Ball, One Ball, etc.
Grey Zucchini	OP	60	C. pepo	Older variety; light green/gray color; smaller but prolific
Italian Striped Zucchini	OP	65	C. pepo	Italian heirloom, similar to Romanesco but without the ribbing
Patty Pan or Scallop	OP/F1	50-55	C. pepo	Many varieties of various colors, including White, Yellow, and Bennings Green Tint Scallop (all OP) or Y-Star and G-Star Patty Pan (both F1); small but very prolific
Romanesco or Costata Romanesco	OP	52	C. pepo	Italian variety, ribbed, light gray-green; my favorite variety due to nutty flavor and firmer texture; not as prolific as Black Beauty; drops blossoms late
Yellow Crookneck or Crookneck	OP	58	C. pepo	Traditional yellow variety with a hooked stem end and bumps; buttery, firm flavor
Zucchino Rampicante	OP	60-70	C. moschata	It can be eaten as a summer squash when young, but I found it bland (others love it); I prefer to let it fully mature into a winter squash with more flavor

 

Winter Squash Varieties

 

Common Name	OP or F1	Days to Maturity	Species	Notes
Acorn, Early Hybrid	F1	75	C. pepo	Faster growing but less flavorful
Acorn, Table Queen	OP	80-90	C. pepo	Faster growing but less flavorful
Black Futsu	OP	105	C. moschata	Japanese variety with a gray/pink bloom and bumpy skin; tasty with edible skin
Buttercup, Burgess	OP	85-95	C. maxima	Traditional Buttercup; I grow this every year
Butternut, Waltham	OP	100-105	C. moschata	Traditional butternut; AAS winner in 1970; I grow this every year
Delicata	OP	85-100	C. pepo	Yellow skin with green stripes; small, elongated fruit; tasty with edible skin; I grow this every year
Candy Roaster, North Georgia	OP	95-100	C. maxima	Extremely prolific; 30-foot vines; large, pink, banana-shaped fruit; not my favorite tasting but productivity is worth it
Galeux D Eysines	OP	95-100	C. maxima	AKA Peanut Pumpkin; warty; tasty; easy to grow
Gill s Golden Pippin	OP	80-100	C. pepo	Orange, acorn-shaped; compact plants
Gold Nugget	OP	85-95	C. maxima	AAS winner; bred for short growing seasons; compact plant; small fruits; easy to grow but a little bland
Green Striped Cushaw	OP	95	C. argyrosperma	Native American squash; white and green striped, large fruit with crooked necks; large vines
Honeynut	OP	100	C. moschata	Grows well; very tasty; small butternut-type; does not store well due to thin skin
Hubbard, Blue	OP	100-110	C. maxima	Tasty; stores well; large
Hubbard, Golden	OP	90-120	C. maxima	Grows well; tasty; similar to Blue Hubbard but smaller and more prolific
Kabocha	OP	85-110	C. maxima	Japanese variety; many other OP and hybrid varieties including Red Kuri, Mambo, Winter Sweet, Sunshine, Sweet Mama, etc.
Spaghetti	OP	85	C. pepo	Low-carb pasta substitute; hybrid types more prolific
Sweet Dumpling	OP	100	C. pepo	Small, round; green and cream-striped; tasty and ornamental
Sweet Meat	OP	95	C. maxima	Gray-green; stores well; similar to Blue Hubbard in taste
Zucchino Rampicante	OP	90	C. moschata	Can be picked early when tender as a summer squash; I prefer it as a winter squash

 

Pumpkin Varieties

Common Name	OP or F1	Days to Maturity	Species	Notes
Autumn Gold	F1	70-75	C. pepo	Short season pumpkin good for Northern climates; turns color early; small fruit; semi-bush vines; AAS Winner
Baby Bear	OP	105	C. pepo	Small pie pumpkin with good handles; AAS winner
Baby Boo	OP	100	C. pepo	Very small, gourd-like white pumpkin
Bellatrix	F1	100	C. pepo	15-25 pound classic orange pumpkin; intermediate resistance to powdery mildew
Big Max	OP	105-120	C. maxima	Can grow up to 100 pounds
Cinderella or Rouge d Etamps	OP	95	C. maxima	Flat, ribbed, dark orange; edible but I found it bland and watery
Connecticut Field	OP	100-120	C. pepo	Classic carving pumpkin; up to 20 pounds; edible
Dill s Atlantic Giant	OP	120-130	C. maxima	Can grow up to 300-500 pounds; I find them hard to grow large but giant pumpkins need lots of nutrients, water, and time; technically edible
Early Giant	F1	95	C. pepo	Resistant to powdery mildew; 25-40 pounds; good carver
Gooligan	F1	95	C. pepo	White, similar to Baby Boo but slightly bigger; gourd-like; prolific
Howden	OP	105-115	C. pepo	Good carver; 15-25 pounds; not as dependable as newer hybrids
Jack Be Little	OP	95	C. pepo	Very small gourd-like pumpkin; flattened, ribbed
Jack O Lantern	OP	105-110	C. pepo	Classic carving pumpkin; also edible
Jarrahdale	OP	100	C. maxima	Blue-gray ribbed pumpkin; edible; stores well; did not grow the best for me but need to try again
Kakai	OP	100	C. pepo	Orange with green mottling; hull-less seeds for roasting; semi-bush plant; not the easiest to grow for me
Long Island Cheese	OP	110	C. moschata	Tan, flattened, ribbed pumpkin; edible but I found it bland; stores well
Lumina	OP	80-95	C. maxima	White pumpkin; good for carving, painting, and eating
Marina Di Chioggia	OP	100	C. maxima	Green, ornamental, bumpy skin, and delicious
Moranga	OP	95	C. maxima	Light orange, ribbed; edible
Musquee De Maroc	OP	90	C. moschata	Round or bell-shaped; warty; edible; did not grow the best for me, lots of immature fruit
Spookie	OP	90-110	C. pepo	Cross between Sugar Pie and Jack O Lantern pumpkins; good for eating and carving
Sugar Pie or Pie	OP	85-100	C. pepo	AKA New England Pumpkin; small, round; stores well
Valenciano	OP	110	C. maxima	White pumpkin, slightly ribbed; edible
Wee Be Little	OP	85-120	C. pepo	Very small, orange; AAS winner; semi-bushing plants
Winter Luxury	OP	105	C. pepo	Light orange, netted skin; grew well for me; beautiful and edible

 

Gourd Varieties

Many gourd seeds come in mixes so specific variety names are not always available but rather the name of the mix.

Common Name	OP or F1	Days to Maturity	Species	Notes
Birdhouse or Bottle	OP	125	L. siceraria	Dries well; used for crafts to make bottles or birdhouses
Caveman Club, Dinosaur, or Maranka	OP	125	L. siceraria	Large (18 ), ridged gourds with a club shape; curved handle if grown on the ground, straight handle if grown on a trellis; can be dried
Cornucopia Mix	OP	95	C. pepo	Small gourd mix; warted, winged, and smooth; a variety of colors
Cucuzzi or Serpente Di Sicilia Cucuzzi	OP	75-80	L. siceraria	Can be eaten young like summer squash or allowed to mature into a gourd that drys well; can grow up to 4 feet long; looks like a long snake
Daisy	OP	95	C. pepo	Small gourds, prolific; named for daisy pattern on the stem end; can be a variety of colors
Harvest Wings	F1	90-95	C. pepo	Compact growth; small gourds, prolific; can be smooth, warted, or winged in a variety of colors; Autumn Wings are a similar OP variety
Ozark Nest Egg	OP	90	C. pepo	Very prolific but a little boring; look like eggs
Shenot Crown of Thorns	OP	110-125	C. pepo	Small gourds with horn-like protrusions that make it look like a small crown; a variety of colors
Small Fruited Mix or Small Ornamental Blend	OP	95	C. pepo	A mix of small gourds, smooth and warted in a variety of colors; prolific
Small Warted Mix or Fancy Warted Gourd Blend	OP	95	C. pepo	Small, prolific; warted; various colors
Spinning or Tennessee Dancing Gourd	OP	95	C. pepo var. ovifera	Small, green and white striped bottle-shaped; very prolific; dry to a tan color; traditionally used as a spinner toy