When to Plant Pumpkins: How to Grow Pumpkins in the US

Updated October 2026

A sprawling warm-season crop that rewards rich soil and a long summer with fruit that keeps for months.

What it looks like as it grows

🌱 Plant profile: Pumpkin, with sowing times for your region, companion plants and common pests.

When to Plant Pumpkins in Your Region

Pumpkins are frost tender and need a long warm season. The North sows them in May or June, after the last frost. North Florida and the Gulf South sow in spring and again in July, and South Florida sows from August to February. These are the planting months for each of our 18 regions, with each region's frost window. Each region links to its full vegetable planting calendar, and the Pumpkin plant page shows the calendar for any region you pick.

The Pacific Northwest, the Northeast and New England, the Midwest, the Upper Midwest and the Mountain West plant pumpkins in May and June. North Florida and the Gulf South plant pumpkins in March and April, and July. Southern California and Northern California plant pumpkins between March and July. The Mid-Atlantic and the Southern Plains plant pumpkins between May and July.

Position and soil

Pumpkins demand full sun and rich, free draining soil. Before planting, dig in a generous amount of compost or well rotted manure, because these are heavy feeders that build a lot of leaf and fruit in a short time. They will happily take over a corner of the yard, so choose somewhere the vines can run without smothering other crops, or train them along a fence line.

Sowing and planting on hills

Sow seed directly after the last frost, once the soil has warmed to about 65 to 70 F. Seed dropped into cold, wet soil simply rots. A traditional and effective method is to plant on hills, low mounds of enriched soil about a foot across. Sow two or three seeds per hill an inch deep, then thin to the strongest one or two seedlings. Mounds warm faster, drain well, and give the roots a deep pocket of rich soil to work in.

In short-season northern zones, start seed indoors in pots two to three weeks before your last frost and transplant carefully once the weather is settled, or simply choose a faster pie type that finishes within your summer.

Hand pollination

Each plant carries separate male and female flowers. Male flowers sit on thin straight stems and usually open first. Female flowers have a tiny immature fruit, a small swelling, right behind the bloom. Bees normally do the work, but when set is poor or pollinators are scarce you can step in. On a warm morning, pick a freshly open male flower, peel back its petals, and dab the pollen-laden center directly onto the middle of an open female flower. A small soft brush works too. Do it early in the day while the flowers are fully open.

Watering and feeding

Pumpkins drink and eat heavily. Water deeply and regularly, aiming the water at the soil line rather than over the leaves to keep foliage dry and slow disease. Mulch to lock in moisture and keep developing fruit off bare soil. Feed through the season with a balanced fertilizer, easing off on nitrogen once fruit has set so the plant puts its energy into the pumpkins rather than yet more leaf.

Problems: powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is the classic pumpkin trouble, a white powdery coating that spreads across the leaves, usually late in the season. Slow it by spacing plants for good airflow, watering at the soil line, and removing the worst affected leaves. A milk spray or a potassium-bicarbonate spray can hold it back. Late mildew rarely ruins a crop that is already ripening, so do not panic if it shows up as the pumpkins are sizing up. Watch also for squash bugs and vine borers, picking pests off by hand where you can.

Harvest, curing, and storage

A pumpkin is ripe when the rind is hard enough that you cannot dent it with a thumbnail, the color has turned deep and dull rather than glossy, the stem has corked and dried, and it sounds hollow when thumped. Harvest before the first hard fall frost, cutting the fruit with a few inches of stem still attached; a missing stem is an open door for rot.

Cure the cut fruit for one to two weeks in a warm, dry, airy spot to harden the rind and heal small wounds. Cured pumpkins then store for months in a cool, dry place, not touching one another. Curing is the single step that decides whether your pumpkins keep until midwinter or spoil within weeks.

Best pumpkin and winter squash varieties for US gardens

US regions and seasons

Pumpkins grow across most of the US through summer, but they need a long warm season of about three to four months to finish. Sow after the last frost once the soil is warm. In short-season northern zones, start seed indoors two to three weeks early or pick faster pie types that mature in around 90 days. In the South and Southwest, an early sowing avoids having the harvest run into the worst summer disease pressure. Everywhere, harvest before the first hard fall frost.

Pumpkins at a glance

The planting figures for pumpkin from our plant data, converted to inches and Fahrenheit.

Sowing pumpkin seeds

Sow two seeds per mound, about 1 1/4 inches deep, once the soil is warm, then keep the stronger seedling. Our plant data gives a soil temperature range of 68 to 90°F and about 8 days to emerge. Give each plant about 5 feet to roam, build the mound from compost, and water deeply at the base, keeping the leaves dry.

Growing pumpkins in containers

Our plant data does not recommend pumpkins for containers, because the vines need several feet of room to spread.

How long do pumpkins take to grow?

Pumpkins are slow. Our plant data allows about 120 days, around four months, from sowing to harvest. A pumpkin is ready when the skin is hard and fully colored and the stem is dry and corky. Cut it with a long stem attached and cure it in the sun to harden the skin for storage.

Frequently asked questions

When should I plant pumpkins?

Sow after the last frost, once the soil has warmed to about 65 to 70 F. Seed sown into cold soil rots. In short-season northern zones, start seed indoors two to three weeks early or choose faster pie types.

How much space does a pumpkin plant need?

Vining types sprawl 5 to 6 feet each way, so allow roughly 25 to 36 square feet per plant. Bush types need far less, about 9 to 16 square feet each. Use the calculator above to size your patch.

Why are my pumpkin flowers not setting fruit?

Pumpkins carry separate male and female flowers, and the first flush is usually all male. Female flowers have a tiny fruit behind the bloom. If pollinators are scarce, hand pollinate in the morning with a male flower or small brush.

How do I deal with powdery mildew?

It shows as a white powdery coating on leaves. Improve airflow, water at the soil line, remove affected leaves, and treat with a milk or potassium-bicarbonate spray. Late mildew rarely ruins a crop already ripening.

How do I know when a pumpkin is ripe?

A ripe pumpkin has a hard rind you cannot dent with a thumbnail, a deep dull color, a stem that has corked and dried, and a hollow sound when thumped. Harvest before the first hard fall frost, leaving a few inches of stem.

Do I need to cure pumpkins before storing?

Yes. Cure cut pumpkins for one to two weeks in a warm, dry, airy spot to harden the rind. Cured fruit then keeps for months in a cool, dry place. Curing is the difference between a pumpkin that keeps and one that rots.

How long do pumpkins take to grow?

Sugar and pie pumpkins take about 90 to 110 days, butternut about 100 to 120 days, large heirlooms like Jarrahdale and Dickinson about 100 to 120 days, and giant types longer. Count back from your first expected fall frost.

Related guides

See also: Pumpkin in the Plant Library