How to Grow Sugar Pie Pumpkins From Seed

By Maxim Kaufman — Founder & CEO, Organo Republic

Updated July 2026

Sugar Pie is a small, sweet heirloom pumpkin bred for the kitchen rather than the porch. Its fine-grained, deep-orange flesh is smooth and richly flavored, making it the classic choice for pies, purees, and soups. The compact 4 to 8 pound fruit ripens in about 100 days on vigorous vines. If you want homemade pumpkin puree that beats the can, Sugar Pie is the pumpkin to grow.

This is the quick guide to Sugar Pie. For the full step-by-step on starting seeds, sowing, feeding, and troubleshooting pumpkins, see our complete guide to growing pumpkins from seed.

Quick start

Wait until the last frost has passed and the soil has warmed to 65 to 70F, then direct-sow seeds about one inch deep in hills of four to five, spacing hills 4 to 6 feet apart. Thin each hill to the best two or three plants once they have true leaves. Give full sun, rich soil, and a steady one to two inches of water a week. Sugar Pie ripens in about 100 days; harvest when the rind is hard and deep orange, then cure the pumpkins in a warm, dry spot before baking or storing.

Best tip

Let Sugar Pie fully ripen and then cure it before you bake. A pumpkin picked deep orange with a hard rind and left to cure in a warm, dry place for about ten days develops sweeter, smoother flesh and stores far longer. Slip a board or straw pad under each ripening fruit so the bottom stays off damp soil and does not rot. In short-season areas like the northern Midwest, start seeds indoors two to three weeks early so this 100-day pumpkin finishes before fall frost.

At a glance

Botanical nameCucurbita pepo

Plant typeWarm-season annual vine

USDA zones3 to 9 (grown as a summer annual)

SunFull sun (6 to 8 hours)

Days to maturityAbout 100 days

HeightVines sprawl 8 to 15 ft

Spacing2 to 3 plants per hill, hills 4 to 6 ft apart

Water1 to 2 inches per week, steady

Uses

Sugar Pie earns its name in the oven. The fine-grained, sweet flesh cooks down into a smooth puree that is far richer than canned pumpkin, perfect for pies, custards, breads, and soups. Roast wedges as a side, or freeze the puree for baking through the winter. The small fruit also makes a tidy fall decoration before it heads to the kitchen, and the seeds roast into a crunchy snack.

Frequently asked questions

How long does Sugar Pie pumpkin take to grow?

Sugar Pie needs about 100 days from sowing to a fully ripe pumpkin. Because it is a long-season crop, gardeners in cool or short-summer areas should start seeds indoors two to three weeks early so the fruit colors up and hardens before the first fall frost.

How big does a Sugar Pie pumpkin get?

Sugar Pie is a small pie pumpkin, usually 4 to 8 pounds and about 6 to 8 inches across. The compact size is part of its appeal, since one pumpkin cooks down into roughly the right amount of puree for a pie or two.

Is Sugar Pie pumpkin good for carving?

Not really. Sugar Pie is bred for eating, with thick, sweet, fine-grained flesh and a small cavity, so it does not hollow out well for jack-o-lanterns. For carving, grow a field pumpkin like Connecticut Field and save Sugar Pie for the kitchen.

How do I make puree from a Sugar Pie pumpkin?

Halve the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, and roast the halves cut-side down at about 375F until the flesh is soft, roughly 45 minutes. Scoop the flesh from the skin and blend it smooth. The puree freezes well for baking through the winter.

Ready to grow your own? Sugar Pie seeds give you small, sweet heirloom pumpkins with fine-grained flesh made for baking and puree. For the full step-by-step, see our complete pumpkin growing guide linked at the top of this page.

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By Maxim Kaufman — Founder & CEO, Organo Republic

Maxim founded Organo Republic in 2017 and personally selects, tests, and grows the heirloom, non-GMO varieties the company offers. Under his leadership, Organo Republic was named Agri Business Review’s Top Non-GMO Seed Variety Solution 2026.