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

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05 Feb 19, Mike (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Put some curry in it to give it some taste. lol
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03 Feb 19, Mike (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Check with your neighbour next time. Next time wait until the stem has become hard and woody. About 16-20 weeks after seeds germinate.
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22 Jan 19, Sal (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
I have 3 healthy pumpkins growing on the vine but the new baby ones are going yellow and dying. What causes this?
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22 Jan 19, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
They are going yellow and dying because they have not been pollinated. Try using a soft small paint brush, or something similar, to transfer some pollen from a 'male' flower (one without a tiny pumpkin behind it) to a 'female' flower - one with a tiny pumkin behind it.
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23 Jan 19, Sal (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Thanks for that, I assumed that if a pumpkin formed it must have been pollinated.
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28 Feb 19, Mike (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
The female flowers are only open for 1 day and usually closed by lunch. Have to be on the ball to pollinate them.
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22 Jan 19, Mike (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Or break off a male flower and peel back the flower part, then rub the female flower with the male part. Make sure the male has pollen on it by testing with your finger. Even do this with 2-3 male flowers.
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04 Dec 18, Robyn (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I live in Te Anau and wonder what is a faster maturing pumpkin variety?? We had a good crop of pumpkins growing last year, but a rogue frost in mid March killed off the plant and the pumpkin crop did not ripen, and the weather is only coming good now (early Dec) to plant.
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05 Dec 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Look around some seed selling companies - email or phone them. Most times I see like 15-20 weeks to grow but which is early I don't know. Another way is to start the seeds early indoors or somewhere protected from the weather. You could start growing them in Oct say under lights. Sometimes nature throws us a big curve ball and stuffs it all up.
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09 Dec 18, (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
thanks
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Showing 21 - 30 of 85 comments
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Hi Cat, If you are happy to leave it where it is, and let it get big there, - then leave it there. Pumpkins don't like their roots being disturbed so moving it elsewhere may upset or kill it. Any move will delay it's growth for a bit anyway (transplant shock). If it is happy growing there than it is likely to stay happy and if it needs more sun will likely grow towards sunny areas. Pumpkins are hungry feeders and a compost heap is a great place for one to be planted due to all the nutrients available from the compost. With a pumpkin you will usually get both gender of flower on the same plant.They are pollinated by bees taking pollen from their male to female flowers. (you can replicate this yourself - google hand pollinating or see if you can find a you tube video of it. Pumpkins have such large flowers they are great to practice this technique on) Usually you will see a bunch of male flowers first for a few days. These are just a flower on a long skinny stalk. After a bit the female flowers will come along. Shorter stalk and with a mini fruit below the flower. If they pollinate the fruit will grow larger and the flower will drop off the end. If they don't get pollinated the fruit will shrivel as the flower dies, and both will just fall off the plant. Good luck.

- Brenda

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