Growing Pumpkin

Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                  P P P

(Best months for growing Pumpkin in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 20°C and 32°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 90 - 120 cm apart
  • Harvest in 15-20 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweet Corn
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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19 Apr 23, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Spring summer.
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21 Feb 23, Debbie (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I planted 3 pumpkins in October, all different varieties. One has not produced any female flowers and the other two have any just produced two little pumpkins this month (February) . They are healthy plants with an abundance of male flowers. My qustion is will they ripen before it gets too cold?
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22 Feb 23, (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Pumpkins take about 5mths.
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12 Feb 23, Ty Buchanan (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
To pollinate snap off a yellow protuberance from the male. Gently push the protuberance into the middle of the yellow female, right into the center, and leave it there. That's it!
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07 Feb 23, Lynette Baldwin (Australia - tropical climate)
Came home from holidays in January and there is a pumpkin growing in my garden it’s getting big will it grow in these months or not . I think my grandson planted it he’s only seven .
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13 Feb 23, (Australia - tropical climate)
Let it grow and see what happens - keep it well watered in the hot weather.
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29 Dec 22, Xander (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
How do l tell the difference between male and female flower
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29 Sep 23, Anonymous (Australia - temperate climate)
Have a look at the thing growing inside the flower. Does it look like a male thing or a female thing? I think this will answer your question.
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04 Jan 23, Gabriella (Australia - temperate climate)
Female flowers have a tiny pumpkin at the base of the flower, males just have stem.
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24 Dec 22, John (Australia - tropical climate)
Why do my pumpkins get to the size of a fifty cent peace and go yellow and drop off
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Showing 11 - 20 of 823 comments
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Hi, I’m based in Brisbane and have my second season of pumpkin plants in the garden, japs and blue, most likely. This lot have just sprung up from compost that wasn’t fully decomposed that I used to plant some sweet potatoes and other things in. My pumpkin vines are wilting quite badly and I have just read a bit about the cucumber beetle spreading bacterial wilt, which I will check for ASAP. Just wondering, if I do find the sticky, white strands, indicating bacterial wilt, do I need to pull out all of the effected plants? If I don’t find the bacteria present do you think the wilting may be caused by a bacteria in the compost? I thought the plants were just super thirsty so I was watering nearly daily but today we have had quite a decent amount of rain and this afternoon my pumpkin leaves are still wilting but when it cools down they have sprung back up again. It really hasn’t been very hot today, which is what encouraged me to research and ask.... Thanks in advance for your advice. Bec

- Bec

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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