Growing Pumpkins

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Pumpkins

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Whether you use them for carving or cooking, pumpkins do not disappoint. Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest pumpkins!

Did you know pumpkins have been grown in North America for almost 5,000 years? It’s a lot of fun to grow this American native. However, note that pumpkins do require a long growing season (generally from 75 to 100 frost-free days) so you need to plant them by late May in northern locations to early July in extremely southern states.

Wait until ALL danger of frost has passed and the soil is warmed, as the seedlings of this tender crop will be injured or rot. Find your local frost dates here.

That said, pumpkins are easy to maintain if you have the space.

Of autumn’s wine, now drink your fill;
The frost’s on the pumpkin, and snow’s on the hill.
–The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1993

Planting Dates for PUMPKINS

Planting Calendar for all Plants

Planting

When to Plant Pumpkins

Pumpkins do best when the seeds are planted directly in the ground. Wait until the plant soil is 70ºF or more before sowing seeds outdoors. Optimum soil temperature is 95ºF. Pumpkins are very sensitive to the cold.
If your growing season is very short, seed indoors in peat pots about 2 to 4 weeks before last spring frost. Be sure to harden off before transplanting.

Selecting a Planting Site

Pick a site with full sun (to light shade) and lots of space for sprawling vines. Vine varieties need 50 to 100 square feet per hill.
However, if your garden space is limited, no worries! Plant pumpkins at the edge of the garden and direct vine growth across the lawn or sidewalk. The vines will only be bothersome for a few weeks. You can also grow pumpkins in big 5 to 10 gallon buckets! Or, try miniature varieties.
Pumpkins are big, greedy feeders. They prefer very rich soil that is well-drained and not too soggy. Mix lots of compost and aged manure into the planting site before you sow seeds or transplant. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.

How to Plant Pumpkins

Plant seeds in rows or “pumpkin hills,” which are the size of small pitcher mounds. With hills, the soil will warm more quickly and the seeds will germinate faster. This also helps with drainage and pest control.
Prepare the hills in advance with an abundance of old manure dug deep into the ground (12 to 15 inches). If you don’t have manure, loosen the soil and mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost
Plant the seeds 1 inch deep into the hills (4 to 5 seeds per hill). Space hills 4 to 8 feet apart.
Your plants should germinate in less than a week with the right soil temperature (70 degrees F) and emerge in 5 to 10 days.
When the plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill by snipping off unwanted plants without disturbing the roots of the remaining ones.
In rows, sow seeds 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 6 to 10 feet apart. Snip off plants to thin to one plant every 18 to 36 inches.

Check out this video to learn how to plant pumpkins.

Care

How to Grow Pumpkins

Use row covers to protect plants early in the season and to prevent insect problems. However, remember to remove covers before flowering to allow pollination by insects!
Pumpkins are very thirsty plants and need lots of water. Water one inch per week. Water deeply, especially during fruit set.
When watering: Try to keep foliage and fruit dry unless it’s a sunny day. Dampness will make rot and other diseases more likely.
Add mulch around your pumpkins to keep in moisture, suppress weeds, and discourage pests.
Remember that pumpkins are tender from planting to harvest. Control weeds with mulch. Do not overcultivate, or their very shallow roots may be damaged.
Most small vine varieties can be trained up a trellis.
Larger varieties can be trained upward on a trellis, too—though it is an engineering challenge to support the fruit—usually with netting or old stockings.
If your first flowers aren’t forming fruits, that’s normal. Both male and female blossoms need to open. Be patient.
Bees are essential for pollination, so be mindful when using insecticides to kill pests. If you must use, apply only in the late afternoon or early evening, when blossoms are closed for the day. To attract more bees, try placing a bee house in your garden.
Pumpkin vines, though obstinate, are very delicate. Take care not to damage vines, as this can reduce the quality of fruit.

Growing the Perfect Pumpkin

Pumpkins are HEAVY feeders. Regular treatments of manure or compost mixed with water will sustain good growth.
Fertilize on a regular basis. Use a high nitrogen formula in early plant growth. Fertilize when plants are about one foot tall, just before vines begin to run. Switch over to a fertilizer high in phosphorous just before the blooming period.
Pinch off the fuzzy ends of each vine after a few pumpkins have formed. This will stop vine growth so that the plant’s energies are focused on the fruit.
Pruning the vines may help with space, as well as allow the plant’s energy to be concentrated on the remaining vines and fruit.
Gardeners who are looking for a “prize for size” pumpkin might select the two or three prime candidates and remove all other fruit and vines.
As the fruit develops, they should be turned (with great care not to hurt the vine or stem) to encourage an even shape.
Place a thin board or heavy cardboard under ripening melons and pumpkins to avoid decay and insect damage.

Pests/Diseases

Squash bugs and cucumber beetles are common, especially later in summer. Contact your local Cooperative Extension for potential controls.
Aphids
Squash Vine Borer
Powdery Mildew
Anthracnose
Poor light, too much fertilizer, poor weather at bloom time, and reduced pollinating insect activity can negatively impact fruit set.

Harvest/Storage

How to Harvest Pumpkins

Your best bet is to harvest pumpkins when they are fully mature. They will keep best this way. Do not pick pumpkins off the vine because they have reached your desired size. If you want small pumpkins, buy a small variety instead!
A pumpkin is ripe when its skin turns a deep, solid color (orange for most varieties).
When you thump the pumpkin with a finger, the rind will feel hard and it will sound hollow. Press your nail into the pumpkin’s skin; if it resists puncture, it is ripe.
Harvest pumpkins and winter squashes on a dry day after the plants have died back and the skins are hard.
To slow decay, leave an inch or two of stem on pumpkins and winter squash when harvesting them.
To harvest the pumpkin, cut the fruit off the vine carefully with a sharp knife or pruners; do not tear. Be sure not to cut too close to the pumpkin; a liberal amount of stem (3 to 4 inches) will increase the pumpkin’s keeping time.
Handle pumpkins very gently or they may bruise.

How to Cure and Store Pumpkins

Pumpkins should be cured in the sun for about a week to toughen the skin and then stored in a cool, dry bedroom, cellar, or root cellar—anywhere around 55ºF.
If you’re saving pumpkin seeds, they should last for 6 years.
Check out this video for tips on curing and storing pumpkins.

Recommended Varieties

Miniature pumpkins: ‘Jack Be Little’ miniature pumpkin variety, perfect for a holiday table. Vine variety. Days to maturity: 90 to 100 days. ‘We-B-Little’ is an All-America Selection winner, and ‘Munchkin’ is another great miniature pumpkin. Miniature pumpkins are very productive and easy to grow, sometimes producing up to a dozen fruits per plant.

Photo Credits: National Garden Bureau. On the left, ‘Munchkin’ miniature pumpkins. On the right, ‘Wee-B-Little’ miniature pumpkins.

Pumpkins for carving: ‘Autumn Gold’ great for carving, decorating. All-America Selection winner. Vine variety. Excellent for Jack-o-Lanterns. Days to maturity are generally 100 to 120 days.
Giant pumpkins: ‘Dill’s Atlantic Giant’ jumbo variety can grow to 200 pounds. Great for those who want to grow a giant pumpkin. Vine will spread to 25 feet, so space is a must. Days to maturity are 130 to 160 days, so plant early! Thin to the best one or two plants. Feed heavily but keep cultivation shallow. Remove first 2 or 3 female flowers after the plants start to bloom so that the plants grow larger with more leaf surface before setting fruit. Allow a single fruit to develop and pick off all female flowers that develop after this fruit has set on the plant. Take care that the vine doesn’t root down near the joints to avoid breakage.
Perfect pumpkins for pies: ‘Sugar Treat’ semi-bush hybrid. Ideal for cooking and baking. Days to maturity are generally 100 to 120 days. ‘Hijinks’ and ‘Baby Bear’ are both All-America Selection winners and have sweet flesh for pumpkin pie. ‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ is also perfect for pies or soups. ‘Peanut Pumpkin’ also produces very sweet flesh and can be great in pumpkin pie or pumpkin puree.

Photo Credits: National Garden Bureau. On the left, ‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ pumpkins. On the right, ‘Peanut Pumpkin’.

Colorful pumpkins: ‘Jarrahdale’ has blue-green skin and makes for great decorations. ‘Pepitas Pumpkin’ is orange and green, and ‘Super Moon’ is a large white pumpkin.

Photo Credits: National Garden Bureau. On the left, a ‘Jarrahdale’ pumpkin. On the right, a ‘Pepitas Pumpkin’.

Wit & Wisdom

Pumpkin Trivia

Pumpkins were once thought to cure snakebites.
A slice of pumpkin pie before bedtime may help you to sleep. (That’s what we tell ourselves, anyway.)
Pumpkins have been grown in North America for almost 5,000 years.
Pumpkins are a nutritional powerhouse! Learn more about winter squash’s health benefits!
Cucurbits, such as pumpkins, are subject to an ongoing myth—that planting different family members or varieties will result in strange fruit. Actually, it is the seeds resulting from cross-pollination that are corrupted, so this is a factor only if you are planning to save seeds for next year’s planting.

Carving Pumpkins

Pumpkins have become a traditional Halloween decoration and treat in the United States.
Inscribe messages on growing pumpkins with a large nail. The letters will scar over while the pumpkins grow and will still be visible at harvesttime.
See 5 tips for picking the perfect pumpkin for carving!

Recipes

Cooking Notes

See how to clean a pumpkin for cooking.
Don’t forget about the seeds! Roast them with salt or cinnamon for a tasty treat.

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Reader Comments

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Green Pumpkins

Leave the pumpkins on the vine as long as possible. Remove any large leaves that shade the pumpkins. Once there is a killing frost, however, the pumpkin will not ripen on the vine any further. If you have to pick pumpkins when they are still green, wash and wipe them with a mild bleach solution to prevent any mold. Place them in a sunny spot on a patio or deck or bring them indoors. If you store them indoors put them in a bright room with big windows. You can try the grow light but keep it high enough so it doesn’t heat the pumpkins.

Plant but no flowers

Ive been growing my white pumpkin plant for about a month and half. i have a decent size vine but still no flowers. whats up?

no flowers on pumpkin

Karra, you do not say where you are, but in many parts of the country, pumpkin season is finished. Pumpkins typically have a long maturity period spanning the heart of the summer season—including and especially the days with the longest periods of sunlight. Your plant may be growing but it is probably not getting enough sunlight, even if it gets sunlight all day. Remember, it’s October and the days are shorter now than they are in May, June (especially June), and July. It’s also possible that your plant is getting excess nitrogen, which promotes leaf growth over fruit, but it is more likely that it’s the lack of sun.

Next year, start your plant indoors some 4 to 6 weeks before your area’s last average frost date. When all danger of frost has passed, transplant it outside so it can enjoy the long, hot, sunny days it needs to thrive and produce flowers and fruit.

pumpkin

I just went out to harvest my pumpkins, the largest has a hole in the bottom. Would it be safe to bring it in real quick and cook it?

Hi! I live in new Hampshire,

Hi! I live in new Hampshire, and my pumpkins did not really take off until later summer. I do have quite a few large green pumpkins, but I am unsure if I should pick them now and try to orange them up on my deck, or let them keep going until threat of frost. The vines are mostly still healthy. Thanks!

You can leave them on the

You can leave them on the vine until a frost threatens.

I live in Filer, ID and i

I live in Filer, ID and i just moved into a house that had a pumpkin patch in the front, i get sun in the area only during the evening hours from 2 till sundown i have 6 pumpkins this year but only 1 is big the others are small how can i tell the difference between male and female blooms?its september 10th and only 3 are turning orange-yellow, is this normal? i trimmed the vines back a little but i wonder if i went overboard, most of the time they were growing there were weeds choking them are they salvageable or should i just cut my losses and harvest the yellow ones and wait till next year to grow pumpkins? i need help! unsure what to do.... also this is my first time tending to pumpkins.

You will see a bulb at the

You will see a bulb at the base of the flower that looks like a tiny watermelon on the female.

Female blossoms have a

Female blossoms have a swollen area at the base that will turn into a pumpkin if pollinated. Cutting back your vines may have inspired a second set of fruit which could explain why some are smaller and late to ripen or weed competition could have hindered their growth. Since the average first frost date for the Twin Falls area is Oct 1-10, you have plenty of time for your pumpkins to color up some more. They can change from yellow to orange quite quickly at the end of the season. Be patient and pick them if frost threatens, otherwise leave them until the vines die back. Next year consider moving your pumkin patch to a sunnier location.

I live in Iowa and my

I live in Iowa and my pumpkins are ORANGE already. Should I pick them off the vines? Also will they last until Halloween? The vines are dying. This just seems way to early.
Thanks NAN

If the vines are dying it is

If the vines are dying it is time to pick your pumpkins. Handle them gently and follow the directions in this article about curing and storing and they should last well past Halloween.

Hello, This is my first year

Hello,
This is my first year growing pumpkins and have lost 2 pumpkins so far out of 4. The first one was about the size of a soft ball and slowly turned yellow and broke off. The second one was almost the size of a basketball and did the same thing. It slowly turned yellow and fell off and now all mushy. I have to other pumpkins that are dark green right now and almost the size of a basketball and I don't want to lose the same way I lost the others. What is the reason for them to turn yellow and break off? Is there a way to stop that? Also the pumpkins patch is directly on soil. For next year can I lay down mulch and grow my patch on a mulch bed?

thank you

Yellowing followed by death

Yellowing followed by death of the fruit MAY be caused by insect attack. cut open the fruitlet and you are likely to discover some worms inside. If this is the case, then know that the cause may be attack by fruit fly. To control : spray with an insecticide for fruit flies as per directions. Good luck!

hi,is it to late for me to

hi,is it to late for me to grow pumpkins in florida?

Is there a certain time to

Is there a certain time to stop watering? Worried about overwatering

Pumpkins are very thirsty

Pumpkins are very thirsty plants and need lots of water. Water one inch per week. Water deeply, especially during fruit set.
When watering try to keep foliage and fruit dry. Dampness can cause rot. When the vines start drying up and turning brown you can cut back on the water.

HELP!!!! The grasshoppers are

HELP!!!! The grasshoppers are not only eating the plant leaves but also my pumpkins..... I don't use any chemicals is there anything I can do with home products ... Or do I take them off the vines in late aug and hope they are still goodin October ? Very sad a d disappointed as I was growing them for my grandchildren

I disconnected a vine from

I disconnected a vine from the main and discovered a green pumpkin. Will it get orange without being connected or should I toss it?

A green pumpkin that is off

A green pumpkin that is off the vine can sometimes be encouraged to ripen. If you can, keep several inches of stem on the pumpkin. Clean the pumpkin and then place it in a warm, dry, sunny area with good ventilation, such as a patio (bring it in at night) or windowsill. Keep rotating the pumpkin every day so that all sides receive sunlight. Check for signs of rotting. In a few weeks, the pumpkin may turn orange. If not, it still can make a nice jack-o-lantern.

You might try handpicking,

You might try handpicking, and then placing fine-mesh metal screening over your plants (such as window screening). Grasshoppers may eat through cloth, plastic screening, and row covers, so be sure to use metal. Sometimes it also helps to grow a trap crop of tall grass around the border of your garden--some grasshoppers may prefer that to your pumpkins. Hope this helps!

Hi, Melissa: Yay! Good for

Hi, Melissa: Yay! Good for you! Don't do anything -- wait until fall, and when your pumpkins turn a deep, rich orange, cut them from the vine. Have fun!

This is my first growing

This is my first growing pumpkins and they are growing out of control and I am not sure what to do I have pumpkins on some of the vines

This is my first year growing

This is my first year growing pumpkins and I have a lot of male flowers that have bloomed but the female flowers keep falling off before they open so they can't get pollinated. What is the problem and what should I do?

Many factors could be at work

Many factors could be at work here. High temperatures - nights above 65 degrees and days in the nineties - will cause blossoming issues.
Cut open a flower and look for black streaks. They are a sign of something called stigma death which means no pumpkins.
Soil moisture needs to be consistent - not too wet or too dry so mulch is important.
A pH imbalance can throw things off so test the soil.
An assault from insects can cause blossoms to fall off prematurely also.

Our first flowers were all

Our first flowers were all girls, at the beginning of July, then two weeks later the boys came and since the first appearance of the girls, no more girls period. Here it is August 8th and STILL no more girls. What gives? What could have happened? We grew 15 plants.

Thanks

Stress (including heat waves)

Stress (including heat waves) may affect plant flowering and fruit set. Too much nitrogen can delay flowering. You might try adding a high-phosphorus fertilizer to increase bloom production. Some experts say that if plants are spaced too closely together, the competition between plants can reduce the number of female flowers. If this sounds like a possibility, try spacing your plants out a little further next growing season.

Hello, im a first year

Hello, im a first year grower and my plant and pumpkin went great til a few days ago i noticed that it stopped growing as fast and now i realized that the Stem on the pumpkin has kracked and teared itself almost from the vine, it has still like a 1/3 of the stem onto the vine, should i give up or will it still grow?

Since your pumpkin gets all

Since your pumpkin gets all its nutrients through that stem, it could mean this is as large as it is going to get. Growers of giant pumpkins are very careful to support their pumpkins as they grow to reduce the amount of stress on the stem. That said, even pumpkins with split stems can still continue to grow if the stem is still attached to the fruit. I'd adopt a wait and see approach. If after another week it hasn't grown any larger then you'll know it has reached its peak size.

I live in Georgia, first time

I live in Georgia, first time planting pumpkins. It is late July and my pumpkins are orange and the vines about dead. One already is off its vine. Will they keep until October? If I need to keep them cool my best bet is in my
House where it's about 72. Also we are thinking about planting more since they say they can be planted in July. Your thoughts?

You might be able to plant

You might be able to plant more pumpkins--it will depend on your area, your first expected fall frost, and the type of pumpkin you plant (days to maturity). You'll want to harvest before a hard frost--a light frost might damage the vines, but not the pumpkin. For a few frost dates in Georgia, see:

http://www.almanac.com/content...

Or, contact your county's Cooperative Extension:

http://www.almanac.com/content...

Choose a variety that has a short growing season.

As for storing your pumpkin -- it might just make it to Halloween, depending on the variety and how well it has been stored. (See above article.) Leave plenty of stem on the pumpkin (3 to 4 inches), if you can, and avoid any damage (bruises or cuts) to the rind. Be sure to cure it for about a week, then store in a cool (50-55 F) and dry area so that it is not touching any other pumpkin or fruit/vegetable and is not in the vicinity of ripening apples etc. Make sure there is plenty of air circulation. Pumpkins may store for 2 to 3 months.