Questions You Should Know about Pumpkin Seeds Supplier

May. 05, 2025

10 Things You Should Know About Pumpkin Seeds | Blog

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Ten things you should know about pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds offer some of the best nutritional value around with an abundance of minerals, nutrients and other goodness packed into each bite-size seed.

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With the huge number of health benefits associated with eating pumpkin seeds, there are a few facts, ideas and pieces of information that a lot of people don’t know about the much-loved seed.

Here are a few of our favorites.

1. Pumpkins are scientifically known as ‘Cucurbita’

Pumpkins are part of the gourd family known to science as Cucurbita which is native North and South America. Archaeologists have found evidence in Mexico that the plants were being grown and improved there as long as 10,000 years ago, much earlier than maize and beans.

Their use spread throughout the Americas and Spanish explorers brought them back to Europe. They are now grown on every continent except Antarctica. The world’s biggest producers are China and India which together harvester over 10 million tons a year.

2. Pumpkin seeds have a ton of health benefits

From copper and magnesium to calcium and potassium, pumpkin seeds offer a range of different nutritional values, especially considering how much of this you get from such a small amount of the seed. That's why pumpkin seeds are siad to reduce things like cholcesterol and lower the chance of heart disease.

The NHS recommend eating pumpkin seeds for their high concentration of these minerals and nutrients as well as mentioning that these types of health foods best replace those with high amounts of saturated fats.

3. There are five major varieties of pumpkin seeds

There are five major varieties now grown commercially around the world.

The raw seed we sell in Grape Tree is from a variety known as GWS, Grown Without Shell, which having no outer hull does not require the mechanical shelling process associated with other varieties.

GWS is grown specifically for its seed which are regarded as plumper and tastier than other varieties. The rest of the pumpkin is discarded. But then the pumpkin seed is an astonishing nutritional package that contains remarkable levels of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, fibre and high quality protein.

4. Pumpkin seeds can lower the risk of heart disease

The NHS recommends eating pumpkin seeds and not just as a healthier snack. It says that in the battle to lower cholesterol and fight heart disease we should “try to replace foods high in saturated fats with small amounts of foods high in unsaturated fats like pumpkin seeds.”.

It also stresses the importance of seeds as a source of insoluble fibre which has a key role in the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients and helps prevent digestive problems. The NHS website even has a recipe for a ‘grab and go’ breakfast bar with pumpkin seeds.

5. Pumpkin seeds have become popular recipe ingredients

Leading foodie figures are all popping pumpkin seeds into their recipes. Raymond Blanc uses them as part of his garnish for slow cooked summer vegetables. Nigella Lawson has created a salmon, avocado and pumpkin seed salad but the true devotee is eating Guru Ella Woodward.

Deliciously Ella says ‘Pumpkin seeds are such an important part of my diet. I eat them every day with almost everything! I love them sprinkled on my smoothies, mixed in my granola, added to quinoa, rice and pasta bowls and pureed into pesto. They add an awesome dose of goodness to whatever you’re eating”.

6. ‘One of the great food crimes’ - pumpkin waste at Halloween

Across the Atlantic pumpkin seeds are also known as pepitas which is a Mexican Spanish word meaning little seeds of squash. They are widely used in Mexican cooking and are a popular roasted snack there.

You can roast your own seeds and indeed Jamie Oliver says that the fact that so many fresh seeds are discarded every autumn when pumpkins are hollowed out for the Halloween celebrations is ‘one of the great foodie crimes’. Roasting for more than 20 minutes can critically change the important fats in the seeds and affect the Vitamin E content.

7. The world’s biggest pumpkin weighed over 2,232lbs

The world’s biggest pumpkin, grown by Swiss farmer Beni Meir, weighed in at 2,323lbs.

That is over a ton and more than 170lbs heavier than the US record holder despite the fact that the obsession with monster pumpkins in the States inspires a string of autumn festivals that attract as many as 250,000 visitors. But America does claim the Pumpkin Capital of the World – Morton, Illinois where 85 percent of the world’s canned pumpkin is produced. It also invented pumpkin chunkin in which competitors build machines to throw a pumpkin as far as possible.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Pumpkin Seeds Supplier.

8. The biggest pumpkin producers grow over 10 million tons a year

Pumpkins are part of the gourd family which is native to the Americas. Plants were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers and have gradually spread around the globe. Today the biggest pumpkin producers, China and India, between them grow over 10 million tons a year. There are five major varieties now grown around the globe.

The raw seed in Grape Tree stores is a variety known as GWS, Grown Without Shell. It is farmed specifically for its plump and tasty seeds which do not require the mechanical shelling process that other varieties undergo.

9. Roasting pumpkin seeds is a common cooking technique

For millions around the world (particularly in the US and Mexico) pumpkin seeds are a snack eaten just as they are, but there is also a vast array of variations on giving them a quick roast.

The bottom line (at least on this side of the Atlantic) comes down to popping them in a roasting tray, smearing them with oil and cooking at around 180°C for between 12 and 15 minutes. Extra flavours to be simply mixed in include fennel seed, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, ground chives, cumin and even Worcestershire Sauce.

10. Pumpkin seeds are incredibly versatile and popular

Plant-based food guru Deliciously Ella is a major pumpkin seed fan adding them to quinoa, rice and pasta dishes, mixing them into granola and puréeing them into pesto. “They add an awesome dose of goodness to whatever you’re eating,” she says. In other kitchens they are baked in cookies and bread, added to energy bars and used as an addition to everything from vegetables and soups to porridge.

Pumpkin seeds: As interesting as they are healthy?

Expert Tips for Selecting Pumpkin Seeds | Harris Seeds

Pumpkin Seed Varieties

Pumpkins in the fall marketplace have some of the highest demand from the consumer. Whether wholesaling or selling at a roadside stand or farmers' market, there is profitability in growing pumpkins. Planning and preparation for the upcoming season can be an extremely crucial step in any business.

Evaluating varietal performance from years past, predicting what the following season will bring, analyzing the customer base and buying trends and forecasting how the weather will be — all of these factors can make for a tough and extensive planning process.

Like anything else, the seed industry is constantly evolving. There are new diseases, insect pressures and environmental stressors that breeders are constantly selecting resistance to in order to increase the quality of the varieties they introduce to the market.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when selecting which pumpkin seed varieties you should grow for this season.

How to Choose the Best Pumpkin Seed Varieties For Planting

1. Strong Stems – Look for pumpkin seed varieties that produce thick, well-attached stems that stand out from the competition. Customers will naturally shy away from pumpkins that have short and flimsy stems and gravitate towards pumpkins with impressive, dark, thick stems.

Pictured: Cronus and Gladiator

2. Yield – Make sure the pumpkin varieties you choose will make the highest profit per acre. If you have limited space, a difference between 1,500 fruit per acre and 2,500 fruit per acre can have a huge impact on your overall sales. 3. Maturity – Choose a pumpkin seed variety that is well-adapted to your area. If it has been a wet spring in your area and you have missed your normal planting window, you may want to stay away from a 110-115 day variety. Look at earlier maturing varieties around 95-100 days to make up the time you've lost due to wet weather. Not having pumpkins ready to sell when you need them can be detrimental to your fall sales. 4. Disease Protection – Powdery mildew is one of the most common diseases that growers face today. If powdery mildew is an issue, choose pumpkin seed varieties that offer intermediate resistance to it. While they are not completely resistant, they do offer enough protection to help ensure a high-quality crop.
Pictured: Aladdin and Kratos.

View Harris Seeds' Pumpkin Chart for relative days, weight, diameter, stem, shape, color, seeds/lb, and spacing.

Are All Pumpkin Seeds the Same?

Pumpkins vary in size, genetics and other characteristics — like whether the seeds have a hull or not. As there are over 300 different varieties of pumpkins, there is an equal amount of different seeds. You may not know the difference between those seeds to look at them, but each seed variety has unique characteristics.

What Type of Pumpkin Seeds Are Best to Eat?

The best pumpkin seeds to eat are hull-less, also known as pepitas. Pepitas are naked — that is, they do not have any cream-colored hull covering them that you would see on any old jack-o-lantern. They are also delicious and full of healthy fats, protein and minerals.

These pumpkin seeds are the best to eat for a few reasons:

They are more convenient because you do not need to crack open a shell to eat them.
They are less tough than traditional pumpkin seeds, making them more versatile in different recipes and dishes.
They are easier to eat

A popular variety that produces hull-less seeds is Naked Bear pumpkin.

Do All Pumpkins Have Seeds?

Yes! All pumpkins contain seeds. However, some pumpkin varieties produce more seeds than others. In general, smaller pumpkins produce fewer seeds, but this is not always the case.

Do Viable Pumpkin Seeds Float or Sink?

Viable pumpkin seeds sink while nonviable pumpkin seeds float. The reason this happens is that viable seeds are filled with living embryos. In contrast, nonviable seeds are lighter because they do not contain these embryos.

Whether You’re Growing or Eating - Find Premium Pumpkin Seeds With Harris Seeds

Our growers at Harris Seeds can help you find the best pumpkin seeds for whatever purpose you have in mind with our premium selection of pumpkin seeds. If you have further questions about planting pumpkin seeds, we invite you to reach out to our customer service team!

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Wholesale Squash Seeds. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.