Pumpkin Seeds - Black Kat
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A pumpkin the colour of a moonless night.
Black Kat produces deeply ribbed pumpkins in charcoal to near-black, a colour that stops people on the porch step. Against orange pumpkins, burgundy foliage and ornamental grasses it does something no other pumpkin does — it absorbs the light instead of throwing it back.
Fruit reach roughly 6–10 inches across with a balanced round shape, the right size for porch displays, centerpieces and mixed autumn arrangements. Vigorous trailing vines run 8–12 feet and set multiple ornamental fruits per plant.
Grown as an ornamental. Let the fruit mature fully on the vine for the deepest colour and the best storage life.
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS
Sun: Full sun
Sowing depth: 1 inch
Germination: Approximately 5–10 days
Ideal soil temperature: 70–90°F
Spacing: 3–5 feet between plants
Row spacing: 5–8 feet
Vine length: 8–12 feet
Fruit size: Approximately 6–10 inches across
Water: Moderate and consistent
Soil: Rich, fertile, well-drained soil
Life cycle: Annual
Sowing: Direct sow outdoors once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has thoroughly warmed. Plant seeds about 1 inch deep. Seeds may also be started indoors roughly 3–4 weeks before the last frost and transplanted carefully once temperatures warm.
Florida and the Gulf South: frost is not the limiting factor here — heat is. UF/IFAS recommends sowing pumpkins in early July for North Florida, mid-July for Central Florida and early August for South Florida, which lines the harvest up with the fall decorating season.
Feeding: Pumpkins are heavy feeders. Work compost or other organic matter into the planting area before sowing, and give the vines plenty of room to run.
Water: Keep the soil consistently moist, particularly while plants are flowering and setting fruit. Water deeply at soil level rather than wetting the foliage.
Pollination: Pumpkins carry separate male and female flowers and depend on bees and other pollinators to set fruit. Avoid spraying insecticides while the flowers are open.
Harvest: Let the fruit mature on the vine until it has developed its full dark colour, the rind has hardened, and the stem begins to dry and turn corky. Cut the pumpkin free with several inches of stem attached rather than pulling it. Cure in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place before storing.
A note on colour: black pumpkins gradually warm toward bronze and orange over months in storage. That is normal and not a fault — display them through the autumn and let them turn.
Fruit size, shape and depth of black vary naturally with genetics and growing conditions.
Please note: seed packet design, print, and paper colour may vary from the images shown. Seed quality and variety are unaffected.
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