What is a Muscat Pumpkin (Fairytale Pumpkin)?

Last Updated on February 25, 2022 by William

Fairytale Pumpkin seeds

Fairytale pumpkin, also commonly known as the Muscat Squash is a type of pumpkin with a flat shape of about 6 inches deep, and 15 inches wide. It has deep ridges and with soft green and mahogany brown color. When you look at this pumpkin, it looks more of a sculpture and that makes it useful for decorative purposes apart from being an awesome dish.

The seeds of this pumpkin are cream-colored and look like those of normal pumpkins. They are available on Amazon among other online stores. They are valued in terms of the number of seeds per pound.

Can you roast Fairytale Pumpkin seeds?

The seeds of Fairytale pumpkin are edible. They are nutritious and can serve as a snack. You can roast and eat them with other snacks for breakfast or plainly at any time of the day.

Fairytale Pumpkin growing

Growing Fairytale pumpkins require fertile and well-drained soil of pH between 6 to 6.5 and a soil temperature of 65 degrees F. Therefore, you can sow them in late spring after the frost has passed. It takes between 6 – 12 days for seeds to germinate.

There are different ways to grow Fairytale pumpkin. You can either plant them in pots then transplant them later, or seed them directly. Seeding directly is easier than growing them in containers.

Direct seeding is also the recommended method to plant this pumpkin variety and is done in the following steps:

1. Preparing the soil.
2. Sowing the seeds.
3. Thinning.

Step 1 – Preparing the soil

This involves preparing the garden where you will grow the seeds. You need to ensure that the soil is fertile and well-drained. Also, the soil should have a temperature of about 65 degrees F. for successful germination.

When preparing the soil, you can add some composted manure to the soil. You can also add small amounts of organic fertilizer to each planting spot. Then create mounds of 8 inches high, and about 18 – 24 inches wide. Mix the manure well in each mound.

Step 2 – Sowing the seeds

Since you are sowing directly, you need to do the right spacing. Fairy pumpkin requires a row spacing of 5 – 6 feet and seed spacing of 18 – 24 inches. In addition to that, it requires a seed depth of between 1 – 1.5 inches. The seeds require warm soil for germination and the recommended temperature is 65 degrees F. Also, the pH of the soil to sow your seeds should be between 6 and 6.5.

Step 3 – Thinning

While sowing, you put 2 seeds on each mound, and when the seeds begin to sprout, allow it sometime before thinning to leave the strong seedling in recommended spacing. Thinning helps to reduce competition and allows the remaining plants to get enough nutrients from the soil.

Fairytale Growing Information and Facts

Recommended planting method	Direct seeding
Light requirements	Full sun
Planting season	Warm-season, after the frost.
Planting seed depth	1 – 1.5 inches.
Seeds per mound	2
Seed spacing	18 – 24 inches
Row spacing	5 -6 feet.
Days to maturity	90 – 120 days.
Growing temperature	65 degrees F.
pH	6 – 6.5

How do you plant Fairytale Pumpkins?

To plant Fairytale or Muscat pumpkin, the most recommended way is seeding directly. In this method, you plant the seeds directly with the right spacing, then thin to 1 plant after about 3 weeks of germination, water them appropriately, and apply nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers to help the pumpkins to bloom. You should apply nitrogen fertilizers only when the plant is about 1 foot in height.

Fairytale Pumpkin Harvest

Like many other pumpkins, it takes 90 days for Fairytale pumpkins to mature. As soon as they begin bearing some fruits, ensure that the fruit does not touch the bare ground since the pumpkin may rot. You can use cardboard for the fruit to lie on it to avoid the possible chances of rotting by touching the ground.

At around 90 – 120 days, check whether the pumpkin is ripe for harvesting. When it is ripe, the rinds become hard, and the plant begins to dry.  Also, you will know the pumpkin is ripe and ready for harvesting when the color changes to orange/mahogany-brown from dark-green.

What does a Fairytale Pumpkin look like?

Fairytale pumpkins are flat-shaped and weigh between 15 – 20 pounds. It has smooth rinds that are deeply ribbed hence making the pumpkin look like a sculpture in soft green and mahogany brown color.

Fairytale Pumpkin recipe

Different recipes come from Fairytale pumpkin. It can form salad recipes, be used to garnish main dishes, roasted and blended to make soups, butter, casseroles, pasta dishes, cream-based sauces, curries, and stews.

Are Fairytale Pumpkins good for pie?

The Fairytale pumpkin is sweet and deep orange flesh with buttery flavor hence good for different recipes. It is good for making pumpkin pie among other dishes. You can roast it, then blend it and use it in your pie recipe or any other recipe.

Can you eat Fairytale Pumpkin raw?

Fairytale pumpkins are good for both cooked and raw applications. Their sweet taste and hearty rich flavor make them the best for salads, and other applications such as roasting, boiling, or baking.

White Fairytale Pumpkin

The white fairytale pumpkins have the same flat shape and size. The difference with the normal Fairytale pumpkin is the white color of the rinds. However, the flesh is similar to that of mahogany brown pumpkins.

Cinderella vs Fairytale Pumpkin

Cinderella pumpkins are flat-shaped and large. They belong to the Cucurbitaceae squash family and the flesh is sweet and edible. Fairytale pumpkins belong to the same family as Cinderella pumpkins and are also large, flat-shaped, and with sweet flesh. The differences and similarities as in the table below:

Cinderella pumpkin	Fairytale pumpkin
Belongs to the Cucurbitaceae squash family.	Belongs to the Cucurbitaceae squash family.
They are large and flat-shaped.	Large and flat-shaped.
Bright-red orange color.	Orange-brown color.
Less flavorful and watery.	Less watery and flavorful.
Slightly ribbed rinds.	Deeply ribbed rinds.

Related resources:

Muscat squash has a lovely nutmeg flavour – Nature’s Pride

Muscat Squash Information and Facts – Specialty Produce

Muscat squash | Exotic King

Muscat pumpkin | freshly harvested from the Pfalz region