All About The Mammoth Gold Pumpkin

If you are on the hunt for a fantastic carving pumpkin to make some memorable Jack O Lanterns, or a single squash that can fill up a number of your favorite pumpkin recipes, then the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin is what you’re looking for! Read on to learn more about this big beauty of a pumpkin, how to grow it, where to buy seeds for it, and more.

History of the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin

Little has been pinpointed about the exact origins of the Mammoth Gold; however, it has been confirmed that this pumpkin variety was grown in home gardens as far back as the 1800s, and has risen greatly in popularity ever since. Its tremendous size and sturdiness make the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin a premium choice for carving, and the demand for these giant beauties has only grown over the years with the advent of Jack o Lantern carving contests, pumpkin weight contests, and so many more versatile applications for which the Mammoth Gold is an easy winner!

Characteristics of the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin

One of the most notable characteristics of the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin is just how much it lives up to its name! While it may be more of a faint—even at times almost pastel—orange shade as opposed to truly gold, the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin certainly is mammoth in size.

This is a pumpkin that can reach a weight of up to a whopping 60 pounds, or even higher in some cases, tipping the scales at 100 pounds if grown properly…certainly not a pumpkin for the faint of heart! This does make for an absolutely excellent Jack o Lantern carving pumpkin variety, which is one of the things the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin is most coveted for.

Other defining marks of the Mammoth Gold include its ribbed sides and sometimes irregular overall shape, tending to be a bit lumpier rather than perfectly round and smooth, as some of its pumpkin contemporaries are known to be.

Mammoth Gold Pumpkin Characteristics

Eating Them

Mammoth Gold Pumpkins can be used effectively in just about any of your typical pumpkin recipes! Many have noted in particular that this is an excellent pumpkin for making a pumpkin pie, as well as for canning for future use. Because they store well when canned, and may also be kept well in a cool, dry place as a whole, intact pumpkin for up to several months, Mammoth Gold Pumpkins can make for great eating in and out of harvest season.

Use the Mammoth Gold Pumpkins grown in your garden to make an abundance of storable, canned pumpkin puree, or use immediately after harvesting in recipes for pumpkin breads, scones, muffins, pies, tarts, and more. This can even be a great pumpkin for squash soups or making homemade purees for little ones who are just starting out on their solid food journey!

Whatever your preferred pumpkin recipes may be, the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin can make a great component to them. Just make sure you’re baking or cooking plenty of food, as there is a lot of any given Mammoth Gold Pumpkin to go around!

Health Benefits

The Mammoth Gold Pumpkin is a fantastic variety of squash, and like most members of the squash family, it is high in many key nutrients that help keep the human body in a state of balance, while not having too many calories to bring to the table!

Some of the vital vitamins and nutrients you can consume in the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin are vitamins A, B, and C, as well as potassium, manganese, magnesium, and gut-friendly fiber, all of which can often be difficult to find in much of our modern diet.

Additionally, the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin is high in antioxidants, a healthy free radical which can help lower your risk of developing cancer, heart, and lung disease, and can slow mental degeneration and reduce overall inflammation throughout the body.

Growing At Home

Mammoth Golds have their roots in garden growing as far back as the 1800s, so it’s no surprise that this is a great pumpkin variety overall for growing at home. But, like most pumpkins and other produce of the squash family, the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin needs its space in order to thrive!

This vining pumpkin is fantastic for growing at home due to its great return in volume with even just a few pumpkins…provided it’s given enough of the required room to really spread out its vines. Mammoth Gold Pumpkin plants thrive best when they are seeded directly, rather than transplanted, and it is recommended that the seeds be planted at the beginning to the middle of May, when the last threat of frost has passed. Mammoth Gold Pumpkin seeds should be planted in hills about 12 inches apart. Once they sprout, they should be thinned to one about every 12 feet. This will allow for maximum growth in the plants.

If you do prefer to transplant rather than directly seed, you can begin your Mammoth Gold Pumpkins indoors in planters around the middle or end of March, and then transplant them around the end of the spring frost season—roughly late April to the middle of May.  

Like most pumpkins, the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin variety does need a bit of care in order to thrive. This heavy-feeding pumpkin type will do best when receiving at least an inch of water every week and a minimum of 6 hours of sun per day, and requires mulching as well to help its vines do their best growing. Ensure your soil is fertile to help the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin plants produce as well by keeping it composted.

The Mammoth Gold Pumpkin can also be susceptible to some plant diseases, including downy and powdery mildews should the leaves be oversaturated with water. For this reason, you might consider a drip irrigation method and possibly using an organic fungicide if your area is receiving heavy rain.

If you continue to care for your Mammoth Gold Pumpkin plant and even trim it back to just one to two vines per plant, you can easily see pumpkins reach anywhere from 60 to 100 pounds by the time harvest season rolls around.

Where To Buy The Mammoth Gold Pumpkin

It is always best to start out researching your local nurseries, lawn and garden centers, farm stands, and farmer’s markets for produce seeds and young plants, and the Mammoth Gold Pumpkin is no exception to that rule!

However, if you are unable to find seeds locally, or if you prefer to purchase your produce seeds online from known seed sellers, you have a couple of great options for purchasing your Mammoth Gold Pumpkin seeds. Hoss Tools is a great online seller of Mammoth Gold Pumpkin Seeds which offers these reputable seeds at an affordable cost.

Mammoth Gold Pumpkins are more difficult to find available in a young plant stature online, so for an already-started plant, it’s recommended to stick with purchasing from your local garden centers and nurseries, or to simply forgo a young transplant entirely and begin with seeds of your own.

Now You Know Everything About The Mammoth Gold Pumpkin!

Feeling excited about the prospect of growing your own large and lovely Mammoth Gold Pumpkins? There’s even more to learn about growing and caring for this delicious type of squash!

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