Crown Prince: een plek in jouw tuin
Ontdek Crown Prince en kies hoe je pompoen (cucurbita maxima) wilt kweken. Hieronder staan de bevestigde rasgegevens en de praktische teeltgids voor deze groente.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
- Choice
- Species name alone does not predict fruit size or vine length
- Winter types
- Allow to ripen on the plant before storage
- Support
- Large heavy fruits on the ground
This growing advice helps you choose. Your variety, growth stage, weather and conditions in your space determine the actual timing.
Sowing under cover and raising seedlings
Start under cover in warmth · Squash (Cucurbita maxima)
Mid–late AprilStart indoors in warmth and reserve enough bright space for raising plants.
- Germination and temperature
- Germinate in warmth: at least about 18 °C.
- After emergence
- Give seedlings light immediately after emergence. A dark loft needs suitable grow lights; warmth alone is insufficient. Ventilate and keep the compost moist without saturating it.
- Pricking out and potting on
- Sow in individual pots or deep modules. Do not prick out bare-rooted; move the whole root ball before the roots become restricted.
- Hardening off and planting out
- Gradually acclimatise indoor-raised plants to sun, wind and outdoor temperatures; shelter them again on cold nights. After the last frost in warm soil. Keep the root ball intact and give the cultivar enough space.
Plan around six weeks of bright propagation space. Winter types then still need enough time to grow and mature.
Sources and use
RHS · pompoen ↗Britse teeltrichtlijn voor een gematigd klimaat; de genoemde perioden zijn richtlijnen voor Nederland en Vlaanderen.
De Bolster · Uchiki Kuri: een rankend Cucurbita maxima-type ↗Nederlandse producent of teeltbron; de rasinstructie blijft leidend.
De Bolster · Meteor F1: een compact Cucurbita maxima-type ↗Nederlandse producent of teeltbron; de rasinstructie blijft leidend.
Guideline periods for the Netherlands and Flanders. Check the variety, available light, soil and measured temperatures. Greenhouse heating does not guarantee enough winter light.
How to grow squash (cucurbita maxima)
The options below belong to the plant. From these, choose the method that suits your variety's growth habit.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
A trailing culinary type across the bed
A trailing variety such as Uchiki Kuri gets room to cover the surface.
- Choose an identifiable trailing edible type and check its specified space.
- Plant in a sunny, prepared bed after cold nights.
- Guide vines according to the planting plan and keep fruits on a dry surface.
For trailing culinary types; the variety name belongs in the space plan.
Tick off your supplies →
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
A compact type in a smaller garden
A proven bush type such as Meteor F1 needs a different plan from a metres-long trailer.
- Choose a variety explicitly described as bush or compact.
- Maintain variety spacing and room to examine leaves and fruits.
- Check moisture and harvest winter fruits ripe with an intact stalk.
For a small bed with a suitable compact variety, not automatically for every maxima squash.
Tick off your supplies →Maxima does not mean every fruit grows enormous
Cucurbita maxima includes diverse varieties, from practical kitchen sizes to giants, with differing habits. De Bolster calls Uchiki Kuri trailing and Meteor F1 compact bush, for example. Do not apply one variety's traits to the whole species.
Make fruit size a choice for the kitchen
Decide how much squash you want to use per meal or batch. A small type may fit more easily into your week; a giant-growing project needs lots of room and a plan for the harvest. The species name does not promise a fixed flavour or storage life. Also check whether your chosen type is grown ripe for storage or has another use.
Sow separately in warmth
Sow in separate spring pots and give light after emergence. Avoid unnecessary root restriction. Direct outdoors needs warm soil and slows on cold wet sites. Dutch seed advice helps variety plans; soil and remaining season determine suitability.
Build the bed for the mature plant
Harden young plants off and await frost-free warmth. Plant intact root balls in sunny, fertile, draining beds. Compact Meteor F1 spacing is no standard for vines or giant pumpkins. Allow foliage, vines and later fruit access for each variety.
Monitor growth, root moisture and fruit position
Water directly at the plant base and keep soil sufficiently moist during growth. Place fruit on a dry surface before it becomes heavy. Do not pull or twist a full fruit to move it far; the stalk may be damaged. Feed according to soil and product. More feed does not guarantee a larger usable harvest.
A giant variety needs its own plan
For giant fruit, first choose a suitable giant variety and extensive soil space. Limiting fruit numbers may belong to that focused project, not automatically to ordinary kitchen plants. Grow large fruit on ground; light frames or thin ties are unsuitable supports.
Monitor flowers and the first fruits
Male flowers may appear first; female flowers carry a small immature fruit. If fruit set is poor, consider pollination, weather and moisture. Also check young plants for slugs and older leaves for fungal disease or feeding damage. Do not use an edible squash that tastes distinctly bitter. Reliably identified seed helps start the next crop correctly.
Follow ripening signals for the chosen variety
For a winter type, look for firm skin, cultivar-specific colour and a maturing stalk. For Uchiki Kuri, the producer names corking of the stalk as a signal. Harvest before frost damage, cut with the stalk attached and carry from beneath the fruit. Store sound, suitable fruit with good airflow and check regularly. Storage time and curing depend on type and treatment.
What you need
Tick what you already have. The extras depend on how you grow.
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More background, sources and image information
SeedSteps editorial team · updated on 11 October 2026. The AI images illustrate species and practical growing situations; they do not prove an exact cultivar, observations from your own garden or yield.
Britse gewasadviezen worden gecombineerd met Nederlandse en Vlaamse informatie waar beschikbaar. Amerikaanse Extension-bronnen ondersteunen plantprincipes en herkenning; hun kalenderdata, lokale plaagdruk, bestrijdingsmiddelen en mestdoseringen worden niet rechtstreeks op Nederland of Vlaanderen toegepast. Vorst, bodemwarmte, standplaats en expliciete rasinformatie blijven de lokale controle. Commerciële bronnen onderbouwen uitsluitend benoemde ras- en plantkenmerken; zij zijn geen affiliate-aanbeveling.
Alleen Meteor F1 als expliciet compact voorbeeld; geen eigenschap van alle maxima-rassen.
Alleen Uchiki Kuri als expliciet rankend voorbeeld; geen eigenschap van alle maxima-rassen.
- World Checklist of Vascular Plants — 4 juni 2026Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · accessed 2026-10-07
- Common catalogue of varieties of vegetable species — 27 januari 2023Europese Commissie · accessed 2026-10-07
- Uchiki Kuri — botanische soort en teeltvormDe Bolster · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Blue Ballet — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Galleux d’Eysines — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Giant Atlantic — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Giraumon Turban Turc — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Hubbard blauw — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Marina di Chiogga — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Pink Jumbo Banana — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Red Kuri — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Rouge vif d’Étampes — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Pompoen Uchiki Kuri — rasbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Rouge d’Etampes — botanische indelingProSpecieRara · accessed 2026-10-11
- Vorsicht beim Verzehr von bitteren ZucchiniBundesinstitut für Risikobewertung · accessed 2026-10-10
- Meteor F1: een compact Cucurbita maxima-typeDe Bolster · accessed 2026-10-10
- Uchiki Kuri: een rankend Cucurbita maxima-typeDe Bolster · accessed 2026-10-10
- Pompoenen kwekenRoyal Horticultural Society · accessed 2026-10-10
- Pompoenen in de moestuinUniversity of Maryland Extension · accessed 2026-10-10
- Meloen en pompoen: rijping, oogst en bewaringUniversity of Minnesota Extension · accessed 2026-10-10
Supporting evidence by chapter: Maxima does not mean every fruit grows enormous: De Bolster, De Bolster. Make fruit size a choice for the kitchen: Royal Horticultural Society, University of Minnesota Extension. Sow separately in warmth: De Bolster, Royal Horticultural Society. Build the bed for the mature plant: De Bolster, De Bolster, University of Maryland Extension. Monitor growth, root moisture and fruit position: Royal Horticultural Society, University of Maryland Extension. A giant variety needs its own plan: Royal Horticultural Society, University of Maryland Extension. Monitor flowers and the first fruits: Royal Horticultural Society, University of Maryland Extension, Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung. Follow ripening signals for the chosen variety: De Bolster, University of Minnesota Extension.