Oregon, USA
July 2015

Buhrig, B., and C. Shock. 2015.
Can Pumpkins Be Grown For Snack Seed Purposes In The Treasure Valley?
OSU Agricultural Experiment Station - Ext/CrS 152. pp. 339-341.

http://www.cropinfo.net/pdf/ar/2014/2014-038-PumpkinReport.pdf 

Introduction

Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) grown for their seed for use as a snack product appear to be a growing market. Pumpkin seeds are a healthy and popular food option (Rubatzky and Yamaguchi 1999). Recently, attention has been focused on the growing market of ready-to-eat (RTE) snacks such as dried and seasoned pumpkin seeds (Brennan et.al 2012). This trend is expected to continue to grow for at least the next 5 years. Conversations in the spring of 2014 with Oregon Department of Agriculture Trade Specialists indicated that Oregon may be positioned to help supply an increasing need for pumpkin seeds for companies that need to import their supplies from overseas.

Companies that have indicated interest in purchasing seed in this area would prefer that they be raised organically.

The agricultural region of northern Malheur County features a long, arid growing season that enables many crops to grow well under irrigation. Many types of jack-o-lantern and giant pumpkins have been grown with success in small commercial plantings (Shock and Shock 1986, Shock et al. 1996). Prior success with conventional pumpkins leads to the belief that pumpkin varieties with hulless seeds could also be grown successfully. Small amounts of commercial pumpkin seed varieties were planted in 2014 at the Oregon State University, Malheur Experiment Station to observe if pumpkins grown for seed would finish their reproductive cycle in the Treasure Valley.

Pumpkins require 4-5 five years between crops to alleviate disease pressure so this alternative crop would be a quality fit into the rotation of this intensely cropped region. Fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, and squash bugs are some of the pest issues that are mitigated in part by a long crop rotation. Pumpkins grow best in soils with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 (Rabatzky and Yamaguchi 1999) and that encompasses much of the Malheur County growing region.

Full report

http://www.cropinfo.net/pdf/ar/2014/2014-038-PumpkinReport.pdf 

Website: http://oregonstate.edu

Published: July 10, 2015