Jamaican Pumpkin (Calabaza) Seeds

Grow Jamaican Pumpkin, also known as Calabaza or Caribbean pumpkin, for a warm-season harvest of sweet, smooth orange flesh. This vigorous, creeping vine produces fruits that vary in shape and rind color, with individual fruits commonly weighing about 5–12 pounds. Use the squash in Caribbean and Latin-inspired stews, or in recipes that call for pumpkin.

At a glance

• Crop: Jamaican pumpkin / Calabaza
• Growth habit: Warm-season annual vine
• Days to maturity: Approximately 80 days
• Fruit: Variable shape and rind color; orange flesh; commonly 5–12 pounds
• Available sizes: 10, 25, 100, or 1,000 seeds

Start and plant

Start seeds indoors about four weeks before your last expected frost, or sow directly outdoors after frost danger has passed and the soil is warm. Plant in late spring or summer in full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Allow plenty of room for the vines, spacing plants about 4 feet apart in rows 6–9 feet apart.

Grow and care

Keep soil regularly watered while the plants are growing, without leaving it waterlogged. The yellow flowers are pollinated by bees. Calabaza grows best in warm weather, so wait for settled warmth before planting outdoors.

Harvest and enjoy

Allow fruits to mature on the vine, then enjoy the sweet, smooth flesh in stews, cakes, and other dishes that call for pumpkin. Because fruit shape and rind color can vary, expect each harvest to have its own look.