It’s no secret that growing pumpkins is sort of a commitment. Not only do they require 90 to 130 days to mature, but they also take up a lot (and we mean a lot!) of room in your garden—with vines ranging from 10 to 25 feet long. Because of the time and effort pumpkins need, you'll want to know when to pick pumpkins so they're perfectly ripe. If you pick them too soon, they won’t last; pick them too late, and they’ll be soft and mushy.
But before you can learn the best time to pick pumpkins, you need to know what types of pumpkins you can grow in your garden.
“It’s really personal preference,” says Luther McLaughlin, general manager of vegetables for PanAmerican Seed. “Everyone has a favorite type.”
With hundreds of varieties, you’ll find pumpkins (which actually are a type of winter squash) of every color, including white, bright orange, blue, and even speckled! Shapes vary from the classic round pumpkin shape to a flatter, more oval profile. Some pumpkins have perfectly smooth skin, while others show off a bumpy, warty hide.
Once you've decided on what you'll be growing, here's everything you need to know about planting pumpkins and figuring out when to pick them.
How much room do pumpkins need to grow?
In order to figure out how much space you'll need for your pumpkins, first read the seed package. This will tell you what type you’re planting and how long the vines will be, says McLaughlin. If you’re tight on space, you can “train” the vines a bit by gently lifting and redirecting them where you want them to go or by coaxing them up a sturdy trellis to save space. But don’t try to plant pumpkins in containers or pots: The vines simply need too much room to spread out.
How much sun do pumpkins need?
Next, you'll need to know how to help your pumpkins thrive. For pumpkins to grow well and ripen, they'll need full sun, which is 6 or more hours of direct sun per day. “More is better,” says McLaughlin. “Ideally, they like 7 or 8 hours of full sun.”
How do I grow pumpkins?
You can grow pumpkins from seeds or transplants. Many people plant on little hills of mounded up earth, but that’s not entirely necessary. Place 2 to 3 seeds per hole, eventually thinning to a single hardy-looking plant per spot. Water well, then again if you haven’t had rain for a week or so.
It’s fine to feed your pumpkin plants, too. Look for a balanced fertilizer (meaning it contains all three components: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which is abbreviated as NPK) that you’d use for other edible garden vegetables, such as cucumbers or squash. The main thing is that you don’t want the nitrogen (the first number) to be too much higher than the other components. If it's too high, you’ll get tons of leafy growth but no fruit, says McLaughlin.
Where should I plant pumpkins?
You'll want to plant flowers nearby to attract pollinators. Pumpkin flowers are pollinated by honey bees, squash bees, and bumble bees in the morning when the flowers are open. Multiple bee visits to a flower are needed in order to transfer enough pollen for fruit set, so make sure you have plants that attract pollinators close by.
When can I pick pumpkins?
Hopefully, you’ve kept the plant tag or seed package to give you an idea of how long they should take to mature. That’s your first tip. Then, watch for the leaves to start dying back and browning. You can pick the pumpkin when it’s nearly or fully colored—whatever hue it’s supposed to be—although some orange types will continue to ripen after harvesting, says McLaughlin. Also, pumpkins don’t do well with cold, so you'll want to harvest them if you’re expecting a heavy frost.
First, make sure you wear garden gloves when picking because the vines are super prickly! You don't want to twist the pumpkin off the vine. Instead, use a sharp knife to cut it from the vine, leaving a stem that’s 4 to 8 inches long (pumpkins with stems that are broken off will rot faster). Carry it by the bottom, not the stem, so it won't break. Then rinse your pumpkin and keep it out of direct sunlight. If you like, a mild bleach wash also may help prolong its lifespan.
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Arricca Elin SanSone
Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
FAQs
Do not pick pumpkins off the vine because they have reached your desired size. (If you want small pumpkins, grow a small variety.) Harvest on a dry day after the plants have died back and the skins are hard. The skin of a ripening pumpkin turns a deep, solid color (orange for most varieties), and the stem hardens.
How long does it take for a pumpkin to grow and be harvested? ›
Different varieties take different amounts of time to ripen. The faster maturing pumpkins are fully colored in 90 to 100 days, while some, like the deeply lobed 'Musquee De Provence' pumpkin, take up to 125 days to mature.
When should I cut my pumpkins off the vine? ›
Answer: Pumpkins can be harvested when they have developed a deep, uniform orange color and the rind is hard. Mature pumpkins can also be left in the garden/field until the vines are killed by a light frost or freeze. When harvesting pumpkins, handle them carefully to avoid cuts and bruises.
What are the secrets to planting pumpkins? ›
Soak the seeds for approximately 1 hour prior to planting.
Plant the seed pointed side down in your planting medium about 3/4”-1” deep. These pumpkin seeds germinate best when the soil is kept at around 85 degrees. Seedling heat mats are the best source of heat for this process. Plants should be up in 3-5 days.
What not to plant around pumpkins? ›
For example, pumpkins don't typically make good companions for potatoes, or anything in the brassicas (cabbage) family like cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, or kale.
What to put under pumpkins while growing? ›
As pumpkins form, you can slip a piece of cardboard or folded newspaper beneath the fruit to prevent contact with soil and possible rot, especially if you are growing a precious few. Toward the end of the season, remove any leaves that shade ripening pumpkins.
Do pumpkins need a lot of water? ›
Mature pumpkins are 80 to 90 percent water, so you can bet that pumpkins need a lot of water as they grow. Irrigate plants when soil is dry. It's typical for pumpkin leaves to wilt at high noon, but if plants are wilted in the early morning, that's a sign you need to water.
What month do you plant pumpkin? ›
To have pumpkins ready for Halloween, they should be planted from late May in northern sites to early July in the southernmost states. If pumpkins are planted too early, they may become soft and mushy before Halloween. Too late, and they won't be ready in time. In general, they require 75 to 100 frost-free days.
Should you turn pumpkins as they grow? ›
As the fruit develops, turn them—with great care not to hurt the vine or stem—to encourage an even shape. Slip a thin board or stone or piece of plastic mesh under pumpkins to protect them from rotting on the soil. To grow a giant pumpkin, try 'Dill's Atlantic Giant' jumbo variety.
How many pumpkins grow from one seed? ›
If you plant a single pumpkin seed in your backyard expecting a pumpkin patch to appear, prepare to be disappointed. From a standard pumpkin vine, you can expect an average of two to five pumpkins.
Site Selection and Planting
Pumpkins prefer long hours of sunlight, so select your garden site accordingly. Avoid shaded areas and select an area with good surface drainage. Proximity to a water source is important, also, as these pumpkins will require large amounts of water to reach maximum size.
Can you leave a pumpkin on the vine too long? ›
Can you leave a pumpkin on the vine for too long? In general, pumpkins can be left on the vine until the first autumn frost, at which point the vine will likely die, and the pumpkins should be picked. You don't typically have to worry about a pumpkin staying on the vine too long and rotting.
Can you eat pumpkin straight off the vine? ›
Once fully matured, pumpkins can be either picked and eaten straight from the vine or left to be 'cured'. Curing is a technique used for pumpkins that dries out the fruit allowing them to be stored for long periods of time.
Do coffee grounds help pumpkins grow? ›
There will be so much material produced by growing pumpkin you can double its use as a green manure crop. Pumpkin likes coffee grinds as a nitrogen fertilizer, so be sure to keep adding it directly to the root zone in power or liquid, or via finished compost.
How do farmers get pumpkins so big? ›
Plenty of sun, water and space required. Growing large pumpkins requires a full sun location, one that receives no shade at any time during the day. A large growing space is also key to producing large pumpkins, so allow a minimum of 500 square feet per plant for vine growth.
Do all the flowers on pumpkin plants turn into pumpkins? ›
New gardeners are often surprised to discover that squash and pumpkins have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. These flowers were taken from the same plant but the flower on the left is a male flower and the one on the right is female. Only female flowers will form fruit.
What animal eats pumpkins in garden? ›
Squirrels, raccoons, deer, moose, foxes, mice, and insects might feast on the delicious orange porch snack you leave near your front door. “How nice of you!” they probably think as they eat their weight in slimy pumpkin goodness.
Do pumpkins attract rodents? ›
Not only do pumpkins attract rodents, but they also attract other animals, including rabbits, birds, and foxes, who enjoy nibbling on these autumnal fruits. And for good reason — pumpkins are a food source, although they are not typically the go-to option for many animals.
Are eggshells good for pumpkins? ›
An easy way to grow seeds is to use empty egg shells instead of pots. by the time the plant is big enough, its ready to go into the ground. just crack the shell and plant it in the soil.
Should you put cardboard under pumpkins? ›
Once your pumpkins have fruit set, slide a piece of tile or thick cardboard under the fruit so that it is not in contact with the soil.
From a standard pumpkin vine, you can expect an average of two to five pumpkins. But that all depends on the size of the pumpkins. Some smaller varieties can produce as many as 12 per plant, whereas growers of giant pumpkins limit growth to one pumpkin per vine. There are other environmental factors involved as well.
What month are pumpkins harvested? ›
In the case of winter pumpkins, the harvest time depends on the variety. However, it can generally be stated that the pumpkin harvest begins between the end of August and the end of October. With a few little tricks you can quickly find out when your pumpkin can be harvested.
How long do Jack O'Lantern pumpkins take to grow? ›
It takes about 90 - 110 days to grow pumpkins so planting by mid-July is the usual goal for farmers who will need some time to grow and then market pumpkins.
Do pumpkins come back every year? ›
Since the growing season for pumpkins is from early spring to fall, it's important to harvest your plants before the first hard frost of winter. These fruits must be replanted every year—your pumpkins will not come back in the spring on their own.
