10/11/2026
Published in The Gazette, Saturday, October 10, 2026
Year Round Gardening –Save Those Pumpkin Seeds
By Amalie Fellini, Colorado Master Gardener
'Tis the season for pumpkins, squashes and gourds. While they make excellent décor, they are a lot more than pretty faces. After carving jack-o-lanterns, consider using the seeds for a delicious, crispy and healthy snack by rinsing, seasoning and roasting them, or save them to grow next year’s pumpkin patch.
Pumpkin seeds are versatile, crunchy, and packed with nutrients. To use them as a snack, start by scooping seeds out of the pumpkin and placing them in a bowl of water. Using your fingers, separate the pulp from the seeds. Drain them in a colander and then dry on a paper towel. Toss the dried seeds with a small amount of olive oil or melted butter and salt. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300°-350°F for 20-40 minutes until golden and crisp.
You can eat the whole seed, shell and all. Your roasted seeds can also be seasoned with your favorite flavors. A few ideas include:
• Garlic powder
• Chili powder and cumin
• Cracked pepper and Parmesan
• Honey and sriracha or wasabi
• Maple or brown sugar and cinnamon
• Rosemary with smoked paprika
• Pumpkin spice
• Sea salt and vinegar
Pumpkin seeds can also be substituted for more common ingredients. Use them instead of peanuts in your favorite brittle recipe; or replace pine nuts with them when making pesto.
Roasted pumpkin seeds are also a safe, highly nutritious treat for many backyard birds, especially larger ones like jays, cardinals, woodpeckers and grackles who can easily crack and eat them. Smaller birds like chickadees, nuthatches, and finches also enjoy them if they are crushed or hulled. CAVEAT: Never feed birds salted, oiled, or spiced pumpkin seeds as seasonings and excess sodium are harmful to them.
You can also save your pumpkin seeds to plant and grow next year’s pumpkin crop.
Keep in mind that you will only get the same pumpkins next year if this year’s variety is an open-pollinated one. Seeds from hybrid varieties may look and taste differently from the ones you took seeds from this year. Learn more about this at https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/collecting-and-storing-seeds-from-your-garden.pdf.
Saving seeds is easy with these simple steps:
1) Once ripe, remove all seeds.
2) Rinse the seeds and spread them out to begin the drying process. It is important to ensure there is no remaining pulp as it is more likely to mold.
3) Place a fan near the seeds and stir once a day to prevent molding. Drying the seeds in direct sunlight can overheat them, killing their ability to germinate.
4) Store the seeds in a cool, dry place until planting next year after your soil temperature exceeds 60⁰ next year.
You should note that pumpkin plants can cross pollinate in your garden which means seeds you save could produce a plant with inedible fruit. To learn more, go to:
https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/cucumbers-pumpkins-squash-and-melons/
The in-person help desk is closed until next spring. Submit gardening questions to [email protected] or call 719-520-7684. Visit elpaso.extension.colostate.edu and register for upcoming classes at epcextension.eventbrite.com.
