Growing Pumpkins
Vines that take up real room, but one healthy plant can fill out several good-sized pumpkins.
How to Grow Pumpkins
Planting
Direct sow after last frost once soil is warm. Give the vines serious room to sprawl, or grow a smaller pie-pumpkin variety if space is tight.
Watering & feeding
Deep and consistent while vines are establishing and fruit is sizing up, then ease off as pumpkins mature and the skin hardens.
Harvest
Cut once the rind is fully colored and hard enough that a fingernail won’t dent it easily, leave a few inches of stem attached for better storage.
Grows Well With
Plant pumpkins with corn and beans, the classic Three Sisters combination, the sprawling vines shade out weeds at the base of the taller plants. See all our companion planting pairs →
When to Plant
Direct sow in June for an October harvest timed right for fall. Pumpkins need a long season, so don’t wait too late in the summer to plant. See the full planting calendar →
Buy the Seeds We Use
From the Seed Center
Shop Pumpkins Seeds
$1.25
From the Kitchen: Recipes Using Pumpkins
Looking for recipe ideas? Browse the full Recipe Book.