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!

Note that pumpkins do require a lot of food and 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.

Do not plant this tender vegetable until all danger of frost has passed and the soil is warmed, as the seedlings will be injured or rot. Find your local frost dates here.

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

Planting

Selecting a 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 mature into the planting site before you sow seeds or transplant. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.

Planting by Seed

Pumpkins do best when the seeds are planted directly in the ground.
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.
Wait until the plant soil is 70ºF or more before sowing seeds. Optimum soil temperature is 95ºF. Pumpkins are very sensitive to the cold.
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.

Care

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 weeks, 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, which reduces the quality of fruit.

Pump Up Your Pumpkins!

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.
Slip a thin board or a piece of plastic mesh under the pumpkins.

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

Your best bet is to harvest pumpkins when they are 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.
A pumpkin is ripening when its skin turns a deep, solid color (orange for most varieties).
When you thumb the pumpkin, 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.
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.
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 get a lot of vines and flowers, but no pumpkins, you need more bees in your garden to pollinate the flowers. Grow some colorful flowers next to your pumpkin patch this year and you may get more bees and butterflies!
If you’re saving 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

Cucubits, 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.
Did you know? A slice of pumpkin pie before bedtime may help you to sleep.
Learn about the history of carving pumpkins. Pumpkins have become a traditional Halloween decoration and treat in the United States. We have great Halloween recipes and craft ideas for you!
Pumpkins are a nutritional powerhouse! Learn more about winter squash’s health benefits!

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.

Planting Times

Reader Comments

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There is a chance that the

There is a chance that the vine will recover, as long as the break doesn't block all of the vessels in the plant that allow transport of water and plant nutrients, and as long diseases and pests don't set in.

If the vine runs along the ground, as soon as you can, dig a depression underneath the broken area, wide enough to cover the break, and as far along the stem until just after the next leaf node (where the leaves emerge from the stem). Gently place the broken vine into the depression, making sure the broken stem fits as closely as possible to the original alignment. Cover the stem with soil--make sure the entire break is covered as well as one leaf node where leaves are emerging. Do not press the soil down. Water the area periodically. Roots may eventually emerge at the leaf node.

Good luck!

I am attempting to grow

I am attempting to grow pumpkins for the first time and may have placed my seeds to close together. On one hill I have 4 plants growing in close proximity. (all within a 5'' by 5'' square.

Should I attempt to carefully dig up the plants and space them further apart?

Thanks!

Hi Steve, You did the right

Hi Steve, You did the right thing. We plant multiple seeds because they do not always germinate. Once they do, select 2 of the healthiest and thin out the rest. I know it's hard but you have to "kill" the seedlings so that the others can grow. Pumpkins do not like to be moved or cultivated once planted so we would not advise digging them up.

I broke up 2 pumpkins in yard

I broke up 2 pumpkins in yard yard last year after thanksgiving..they came up and I have pumpkins.. I have 7 now that are turning orange.. My question is why are my new baby pumpkins dying??

Last year I put my store

Last year I put my store bought pumpkin in the "garden" in front of the house and let it rot over winter. This year I have small plants coming up. Since it is a very small space I'll probably have to remove a few. How do I go about doing that and not hurting the one I leave? They are very close together. Would one of those circular trellises work with Pumpkins. With the one I tried to grow last year (need to self cultivate as the bees weren't doing their job and did it too late in the year)I had so much vine. Just wondering if it would hurt the vine to go up the trellis and then back down.

Thanks!

Hi, Steven: You most

Hi, Steven: You most certainly can grow pumpkins from latticework or a trellis. The challenge always remains to support the weight of the developing pumpkin if it starts to grow up in the air. If you can somehow identify which ones you don't want, you can just cut them off or pinch off blooms. We would just let everything grow and have some fun with it, seeing which blooms seem to be healthiest and then pinching off others to focus that plant's energy on the best fruit. Thanks for asking!

Its a rather dull but needed

Its a rather dull but needed question. How many seeds can I expect from a Lady Godiva pumpkin?

You'll get a pound of seed

You'll get a pound of seed from twenty pumpkins.

Last year I planted three

Last year I planted three different varieties of pumpkin in Smart Pots, two being giant type and one being large type. None of them did well at all! They were all very small and rotted quickly. I've had excellent luck in the past with Connecticut Field pumpkins but I grew them in my raised bed garden. Our summer was also pretty mild last year.... My question is though, would planting pumpkins in pots effect their growth? should I stick with growing in beds?

For plants that typically

For plants that typically need a lot of space, such as melons and pumpkins, a dwarf variety should be selected.

The pumpkins I planted had

The pumpkins I planted had plenty of room to grow! I placed the pots in my back yard with adequate distance between them. I'll probably try again this year. Also, I noticed the main stem at the root of the plant ended up having a thick green film over it. I used miracle grow, would that cause this? Hadn't ever seen it before.

I want to get the seeds out

I want to get the seeds out of my pumpkins from this year to save to use to plant in the spring. I have not carved the pumpkins yet to get the seeds. Do you have any recommendations about how to get the seeds out and what to do with them over the winter so they will be ready to use to plant in the spring. Do I just take the seeds out and wash them and get all of the pumpkin meat off of them and all the strings off and put them in a bag and keep them in my basement until spring or what should I do so that I can use the seeds in May or June to plant? Any suggestions so that I will have good seeds to plant in the spring? Thanks for your help.

To save pumpkin seeds, wait

To save pumpkin seeds, wait until the pumpkin matures and then wait another 3 weeks before picking off the vine. Then carve a hole in the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and attached stringy pulp. Separate the seeds from the pulp, wash the seeds to remove any remaining bits of pulp (some soak the seeds for 24 hours to help loosen the pulp before washing), and then let them air dry on paper towels or newspaper at room temperature for about a month. Then place them in an air-tight glass container, label and date, and store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 3 years. For best viability, use within 1 year.

Note that open-pollinated varieties of pumpkins/squashes may cross-pollinate--plants need to be isolated from each other by at least a 1/2 mile. If you got your pumpkin from the store or home garden, it may have cross-pollinated, so the seeds may yield a plant/fruit that is different from the parent. The same is true for hybrid varieties of pumpkins: they may not yield the same pumpkin as the parent.

Thank you for your reply.

Thank you for your reply. Once I have washed the pumpkin seeds and removed all of the pulp and stringy parts of the pulp, and I have washed and then let the seeds dry on a paper towel for a month, you suggested that I place them in an air tight glass container..... must I use a glass container? Can I put them in a zip lock baggie or a ziplock plastic storage container? Also, is it ok to have a large number of seeds all stored in one container or do they need to be lying flat one seed in it's own space or can the seeds be bunched up in a baggie or air tight glass container? I am not sure I have an air-tight glass container, what type do you suggest I buy or find? Thanks again for your additional help! Leslie

Must I use a glass container?

Must I use a glass container? Can I put them in a zip lock baggie or a ziplock plastic storage container? Also, is it ok to have a large number of seeds all stored in one container or do they need to be lying flat one seed in it's own space or can the seeds be bunched up in a baggie or air tight glass container? I am not sure I have an air-tight glass container, what type do you suggest I buy or find? Thanks again for your additional help! Leslie

You can save dry seeds in

You can save dry seeds in bags, envelopes or jars. You don't need to store the seeds in a single layer.

thank you for this

thank you for this information on how to grow pumpkins,i scooped out the seeds from a supermarket pumpkin placed them on my kitchen window ledge with the meat of pumpkin still attached and they dried perfectly over a 2 month period, now looking forward to the warmer season in 2016 to plant my first ever batch :)

What would be the best

What would be the best variety of pumpkin to grow in plastic mold so that it takes the desired shape of the mold?

Good question, Vikas! It

Good question, Vikas! It seems that the person to ask might be the "Pumpkinstein" developer. You've heard of those: the pumpkins that were grown in face-shaped molds and came out looking like Frankenstein? The fellow who did that spent several years and $400,000 growing as many as 27 varieties of pumpkin before he found one that worked to his satisfaction. And he is not telling what that one is.
(Google "pumpkinstein" for more information on this.)
Thanks for your question!

i am here in Uganda and i am

i am here in Uganda and i am new pumpkin farmer who have started few months . and this is my first time but i have no experience but i want be one of best pumpkin farmer in the world , how can i get someone to help in this project? i have started with the 5 acle but i want to purify it and import abroad. but i dont have market . im looking for somebody to work with.

I'm glad you have success with pumpkins!

Hi! I'm glad you have success with growing pumpkins! I have many friends in Uganda - especially in and around Kampala, it turns out. I am not able to send them any funds as I'm not allowed. But I do give them advice now and then on things. And sometimes have sent seeds but cut down a lot on that as they often got stolen there.

Where do you live?
Debby, of Michigan, USA

I planted and grown some a

I planted and grown some a year ago and now I am raising and selling pumpkins for FFA it's my CDE project for the year.

I planted and grown some a

I planted and grown some a year ago and now I am raising and selling pumpkins for FFA it's my CDE project for the year.

I planted and grown some a

I planted and grown some a year ago and now I am raising and selling pumpkins for FFA it's my CDE project for the year.

I have been growing pumpkins

I have been growing pumpkins successfully for a few years now, mainly for the kids. I have a friend that asked me to grow her some next season. She is looking to get the most seeds possible out of the pumpkins to eat. I cant seem to find any varieties that specify seeds. Any suggestions? I live in North eastern ontario canada.

Although any pumpkin should

Although any pumpkin should work fine for eating the seeds (called pepitas), you might try a naked-seeded variety, which originated in Austria. Search for terms such as hull-less seed pumpkins, naked-seed pumpkins, oil-seed pumpkins, or Styrian pumpkins. These have a very thin hull around the seed, and are bred specifically for eating the seeds (which can be green or other colors). Some of these pumpkin varieties have an orange rind while others are striped with green. A few varieties might be good for cooking or carving as well, while others offer the sole benefit of tasty seeds. Varieties include: Lady Godiva, Kakai, and Triple Treat. Snack Jack and Baby Bear are semi hull-less.

I tried growing jack o

I tried growing jack o larnterns a few times with no luck. This is my best year. I'm down to 2 pumpkins After the flower falls off. The little hole is exposted. Should I plug it with a tooth pick or tape it to prevent bugs from going in.

Hi, Bryan, It sounds like

Hi, Bryan, It sounds like it's your male flowers that have dropped off. This is natural; these do not produce pumpkins. The male flowers come first and provide pollen for bees to polinate the female flowers. There is no swelling (future fruit) at the base of male flower stems. So just leave them alone; the are doing what nature intended. If/when the female flowers are pollinated, the flower/s will close and young fruit will begin to develop—and you will be able to see it.
However, if the female flower is not pollinated, it too will drop off and, of course, no fruit will be forthcoming. So that is also a possibility, sorry to say.
So, in short, don't plug anything or tape it. Just keep an eye on the plant and see what happens. (You do not say where you are, but almost everywhere it seems late in season for pumpkins to develop...)
Hope this helps!

Also you could pick the male

Also you could pick the male flowers and rub it on the female flowers to pollinate it. It works.

Hi! I live in Missouri, about

Hi!
I live in Missouri, about 40 miles from St. Louis. I was wondering when the best time frame is to plant pumpkin seeds for my location? Missouri is such a finicky state when it comes to weather. :/