Pumpkin, Naked – Gleisdorfer Oelkuerbis
€1.95
Description
Pumpkin, Naked – Gleisdorfer Oelkuerbis is grown for its delicious seeds which are shell-less (without seed coat).
The seeds are edible, straight from the pumpkin or can be dried. The fruits weigh up to 5kg and the seeds are ready in October when the fruit turns from green to orange. Each fruit produces up to 250g of edible seeds. The flesh can also be used for cooking.
Please note that these seeds are treated with a copper treatment so please handle with care.
Sowing:
Mid April until late May
Sow individual seeds into small pots (7cm) or large modules and keep in a warm place. Pot on into a 10cm pot when ready. Plant out in late May – June after hardening off. Initial protection with a cloche is beneficial.
Approx. seed count: 10
About Naked Pumpkins:
I had often wondered how pumpkin seeds are prepared – they are available in every health food shop and supermarket and I couldn’t figure out how they could be cracked open.
So – in Styria in Southern Austria – a chance mutation over 100 years ago produced shell-less seeds. They have grown them ever since to make pumpkin seed oil and for its edible seeds for baking and snacks. The variety is called Gleisdorfer Pumpkin. They are easy to grow, just like any other squash or pumpkin. In Styria they also produce a famous pumpkin seed oil from this variety.
Growing Pumpkin, Naked – Gleisdoerfer Oelkurbis
Planting:
May – June (in a polytunnel or greenhouse)
Spacing:
1.2m between plants or 60cm if grown up a support of strong twine.
Approx. seed count: 7
Soil and site:
Pumpkin, Naked – Gleisdorfer Oelkuerbis needs a fertile, free-draining soil that can hold plenty of moisture. A generous application of well-decomposed compost is beneficial (about 1 bucket per square meter).
They also need a very sheltered place in the garden or better even grown in a polytunnel or greenhouse.
Rotation:
Pumpkins belong to the cucurbit family. This family is not prone to any soil borne pests and diseases, so there is no need to stick to a strict rotation. In fact they could be grown in the same place every year.
Plant care:
From each plant you will get between 6 to 10 fruits.
Harvesting:
Harvest Pumpkin, Naked – Gleisdorfer Oelkuerbis in October and harvest the seeds. The seeds can be eaten fresh and also dried. The flesh can also be eaten but is quite bland tasting.
Potential problems:
Apart from their sensitivity to cold and windy weather there are no specific pests or diseases that affect pumpkins. Slugs, however, like the newly planted pumpkins, so you need to protect them.
How much to grow:
Pumpkins are only suitable for large gardens. Everybody underestimates the space they require. Unless you have a large garden only one to two plants are sufficient. At least you’ll have some fun at Halloween.
Why not subscribe to my monthly gardening newsletter for free?
https://greenvegetableseeds.com/newsletters/
A good information for all gardening news is the Irish Garden Magazine:
