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 68°F and 90°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 35 - 47 inches apart
  • Harvest in 15-20 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweet Corn
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

10 Mar 20, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I had apple cucumbers have 3 flushes of flowers to produce 3 lots of cucumbers. Pumpkins could do the same. It will then take another 50-60 days or so until you will pick these. The soil would have to have more fertilising or the pumpkins would be small in size. Consideration to, you have had a great crop, do you really want to keep going for 2 months more. I think like, I spent $1 on 10 pumpkin seeds and they produced $40-50 of produce, that is great value. Time to rip that crop out and prepare the soil for the next crop.
05 Mar 20, KO (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I live in Perth. Is it too late to plant pumpkins?
05 Mar 20, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Check on this page : www.gardenate.com/plant/Pumpkin Make sure that your climate zone is showing at the top of the page.
08 Mar 20, Janice (Australia - temperate climate)
Too late for pumpkin. Need to get them in the ground around end sept in Perth
02 Mar 20, Ann Moeser (Australia - tropical climate)
I live in Cairns in Far North Queensland. Will pumpkins grow in shady areas up here and how far apart should I plant each seed please? Regards Ann
28 Mar 20, Clive (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, Central QLD here. Jap pumpkins. This season i planted 2 lots of 3 vines on the same day. One in full sun and the other in a shady area. The full sun ones are growing wee with lots of pumpkins. The ones planted in the shady area grew great looking healthy long vines but not a single flower, male or female. Have turned the water off these ones and will be pulling out in the next day or two. Need plenty of sunshine
02 Mar 20, Anon (Australia - tropical climate)
Most vegetables need a fair amount of direct sunlight a day, 4-5 to 8+ our a day. In shade you will have weak looking plants. It tells you in the notes how far apart. Set the climate zone to tropical for planting times.
28 Feb 20, Garden Gnome (Australia - temperate climate)
I also have seeds germinating from my compost and have at times so much produce have taken great joy in giving them away and hearing about the joyous results. I am out most mornings 2 hours after sunrise when the male stamen is all fluffy with pollen and the female has ants crawling around inside. I pollinate myself by gently picking and trimming the male flower because if I leave it to mother nature my crop is very small. I usually use 2 or 3 male flowers on one female just in case. Recent rains have not been helpful for flowers at all but 1 week later flowers are appearing and just this morning I watched a bee laden with pollen flying from flower to flower. It was so laden it had trouble flying. I love mother nature she is the best for people like me.
16 Feb 20, Paula (Australia - temperate climate)
Every year I get pumpkins pop up from compost that we put around the fruit trees. This year I have 10 large ones, and a number of small ones that might mature if it’s not too late. They are a mixture of Queensland blue and Kent. No butternut this year. Last year we spread the compost out the front and did not get a single fruit, otherwise we average 10 a year.
18 Feb 20, Another gardener (Australia - temperate climate)
Last year the compost may not have had pumpkin seeds in it. If it did the seeds may have gone rotten. Or they were too deep in the soil. Why not take a few seeds from the pumpkin you eat each year, dry them out for a couple of weeks and germinate them next year, Put the dried out seeds in a little plastic bag and store them in an air tight bottle in the fridge. You can produce about 3-6 pumpkin per plant if the bees are active or hand pollinate.
Showing 151 - 160 of 825 comments

Ray, your pumpkins are falling off early because they are not fertilised. You may need to go around with a paintbrush and transfer pollen from the male flowers to the female. Check the comment from Jaci to identify which is which.

- David

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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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