VegetableSquash
Amish Pie Squash
Amish Pie Squash is a treasured heirloom winter squash from the Cucurbita maxima family, prized by home gardeners and Amish farmers alike for its sweet, dry flesh and distinctive appearance. This open-pollinated variety produces large fruits with a shape sometimes described as heart-shaped or like a giant acorn, making it as lovely to look at as it is delicious to eat. Growing in 90 to 99 days (some sources report 80 to 120 days), it thrives in hardiness zones 3 through 13 and needs full sun, warm soil, and plenty of space for its vigorous vines to sprawl. The reward for your patience and space is exceptional flavor and texture ideal for baking, roasting, and pies, with fruits that store beautifully after curing for winter use.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam, Rich
Growth Stats
15 in
Height
TypeSpreading
Spacing
144
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-13
Size
15in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
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Highlights
Large, sweet, and densely textured, Amish Pie Squash delivers the kind of flavor that made winter squash a staple of traditional American cooking. The vines grow long and need room to wander, but they produce abundantly once established, and the fruits cure to a hard shell for months of storage. Gardeners in cool climates especially appreciate this variety's reliable production and rich, dry flesh that bakes into silky purees perfect for pies and roasting.
Common Uses
This squash is at its best when roasted whole or in halves, revealing its dense, sweet flesh that caramelizes beautifully. It bakes into silky purees ideal for pies, soups, and breads, and its dry texture makes it superior to many modern varieties for these applications. The flesh can also be cubed and roasted as a side dish, added to stews and braises, or pureed for custards and sauces.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant or direct sow after the last frost date when soil has warmed to at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In cooler zones, starting seeds indoors 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost and transplanting out after hardening off will extend the growing season enough to reach full maturity.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds outdoors once soil temperature reaches at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit and all danger of frost has passed. Sow multiple seeds per hill or mound and thin to the strongest seedling once plants are established.
Harvesting
Harvest Amish Pie Squash after 90 to 99 days when the skin has fully hardened and turned a deep golden color, resisting puncture from a fingernail. Cut fruits from the vine with a sharp knife, leaving 2 to 3 inches of stem attached. Handle carefully to avoid bruising. Harvest before the first hard frost in zones with short growing seasons. For best storage and flavor development, cure harvested squashes in a warm (75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit), dry location for 10 to 14 days before moving to long-term storage.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Cucurbita maxima
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Growth Habit
Spreading
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)
History & Origin
“This heirloom squash carries the mark of Amish farming tradition, passed down through generations as an open-pollinated variety that farmers could save seeds from year after year. Amish communities, known for their careful stewardship of heritage seeds and sustainable agriculture, preserved and refined this squash over many decades, selecting for consistent flavor, storability, and productivity. Today it remains a cornerstone of heirloom seed catalogs and organic growing movements, a living connection to the kitchen gardens and root cellars of rural America.”