105 days from direct-sowing.

When you grow Cinderella's Carriage Hybrid, all that's missing is the glass slipper! Fairy-tale beauty arises with every new fruit: bright red and very flat, with strong ribbing, these magnificent pumpkins look for all the world like they need only the wave of the wand to transform into a glittering coach! Luckily, their beauty is far deeper than those brilliant rinds, and their garden performance is nearly as magical as their looks!

Cinderella's Carriage is a new hybrid, descended from the antique French pumpkins made famous in illustrations of the classic fairy tale. These fruits weigh 25 to 35 pounds each, and spread 15 to 18 inches wide, with heavy ribbing and lovely strong, curved handles. The rind is such a bright shade of red it really does look painted, and every once in a while this plant will treat you to a real surprise: a pale blue fruit, just as delicious and healthy as the red ones!

Speaking of healthy, this plant is exceptionally vigorous, with good resistance to powdery mildew and much higher yields than the heirloom varieties from which it is descended. You can expect 5 to 7 fruits on every 3- to 5-foot-wide vining plant. The perfect choice for a child's garden, a Three Sisters planting, or even a groundcover in the flowering annual bed, Cinderella's Carriage is irresistible.

It's no surprise that this pumpkin received an All-America Selection award in the southeast/southwest/Great Lakes/mountains region. The production is trouble-free and generous, the fruit handsome and unusual, and the flavor -- it IS possible to treat Cinderella's Carriage as an eating pumpkin! -- delicious, with pale golden flesh that has a nutty succulence you will love. Everything about this newcomer is distinctive and pleasing!

Like all pumpkins, Cinderella's Carriage is quite easy to grow, given adequate space and patience! Sow the seeds outdoors when danger of frost is past, or start indoors in peat pots. Plant the seedlings (or thin to) 3 to 5 feet apart. Corn and beans are traditional pumpkin companions in a Three Sisters planting; other good friends in the pumpkin patch are nasturtiums, marigolds, oregano, and dill, all of which help repel pests such as squash beetles. Pumpkins also grow well with melons and with other varieties of squash. Packet is 10 seeds.