VegetablePumpkin
Baby Bear Pumpkin
Small Sugar Pumpkin
Baby Bear Pumpkin is an AAS Award-winning cultivar that delivers perfectly proportioned jack-o'-lanterns for every member of the family. These bright orange fruits reach 5 to 6 inches across and weigh just 1½ to 2 pounds, making them manageable for children to carve while still offering genuine culinary substance. Ready in 105 days across hardiness zones 3 through 13, it's a vining annual that thrives in full sun and moderately moist soil. Beyond decoration, these pumpkins roast beautifully for pie and produce seeds worth saving for snacking.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Preferred Temp70-85°F
Growth Stats
24 in
Height
—
Width
36 in
Spacing
105–105
Days to Harvest
PeriodAnnual
TypeVine
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-13
Size
24in H x ?in W
Growth
Annual
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Baby Bear truly delivers on its promise as an all-around family pumpkin. Each plant yields up to 8 fruits with sturdy stems that double as natural handles, eliminating the need to hunt for twine or wire. The flesh develops a well-rounded, genuine pumpkin flavor when roasted, while the seeds come encased in thin hulls that shatter away effortlessly, making them the rare snacking pumpkin that doesn't leave your teeth feeling sandblasted. Storage longevity means these compact fruits will sit prettily on a shelf or mantle well into winter.
Common Uses
Baby Bear shines equally in the pumpkin patch and the kitchen. Children gravitate toward carving these pocket-sized fruits as genuine jack-o'-lanterns without the awkward scaling challenges of full-size varieties. Adults value them for roasting into silky pie filling and purees. The seeds, remarkably flavorful and thin-hulled, transition easily from garden cleanup to seasoned snacking without excessive hulling work.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Early Summer
First Harvest
Early Fall
Last Harvest
Mid-fall
Care Instructions
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings or sow seeds outdoors after all frost danger has passed, when soil temperature reliably reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Space plants 36 inches apart in rows separated by 6 inches to accommodate the vining growth habit.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds in warm soil after frost danger has completely passed. Plant seeds at a depth of 1 inch in soil warmed to 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination.
Harvesting
Harvest Baby Bear pumpkins when the skin develops a full, deep orange color and feels firm to pressure. Cut the stem with a sharp knife, leaving a 1 to 2-inch handle attached; this stem makes handling easier and helps prevent decay. Most fruits reach harvestable maturity at 105 days from planting. Collect pumpkins before the first frost, as this variety is frost-tender and cold exposure reduces storage quality.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Cucurbita mixta Pang.
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Duration
Annual
Growth Habit
Vining
Native Status
L48 (NI)PR (I)CAN (W)