Growing Pumpkin

Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

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

(Best months for growing Pumpkin in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • 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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27 Dec 17, Phil Morton (Australia - temperate climate)
Are pumpkins short-day plants? Mine are spreading all over the yard, but there are still no flowers. I've forced early flowering of other short-day plants by covering them in black plastic every second evening and keeping it on the next morning to create a twelve hour night for them and it's worked well, chokos being a good example, but I can't find anything to suggest pumpkins react the same. If no one has the answer I suppose I'll just get myself some black plastic and try for myself, but with some 40'C days around I'm hesitant.
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30 Dec 17, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
I think you are on the wrong track with length of daylight hours. I have plants growing now. Just hand pollinated a dozen or so female flowers last week. My vines are 4m+ long. Maybe you have given them too much Nitrogen. 40c would probably cook them under black plastic.
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07 Jan 18, Phil Morton (Australia - temperate climate)
Well I don't know if it was just coincidence and time for the pumpkins to start flowering anyway but after five nights of covering most of the pumpkins with just a light weed mat instead of black plastic, those covered now have 2-4 male flowers on each. No sign of female flowers though! The one I did not cover still has no flowers. I put the covers over at around 7.30 pm each evening and pulled them off anywhere from 8 am to 9.00 am the next morning giving them roughly only 11 hours of daylight.
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24 Feb 18, Phil (Australia - temperate climate)
So I stopped a couple of days later with the black shade-cloth cover as described thinking I had triggered flowering, but those male flowers just died off and I did not seen another flower until yesterday, so six weeks later! Next season I'll try covering for at least two weeks if I can get a cool enough period and see what results.
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23 Dec 17, w watson (Australia - temperate climate)
my pumpkins are growing but reach small size then turn yellow and die
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30 Dec 17, Bob (Australia - temperate climate)
It sounds like they are not pollinating. As soon as you see a female flower (the ones with the fruit behind them), pinch off a male flower and rub them together. Insects are meant to do it, but sometimes prefer to play on other plants, depending on what is growing nearby..
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28 Dec 17, Mike (Australia - tropical climate)
You probably have no bees. Go on the internet and read how to hand pollinate pumpkin. Also read the postings here about hand pollination under pumpkin.
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04 Jan 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
When hand pollinating use a couple of male flowers - make sure they have some pollen on them.
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13 Dec 17, Damian Blake (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Why is it recommended to avoid growing pumpkin near potato plants?
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09 Dec 17, Cheryl (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
We have both jap and butternut pumpkins growing but seem to only have male flowers. Do we pull them out and start again. There is plenty of male flowers
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Showing 381 - 390 of 834 comments
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Japanese Pumpkins have really long runners (Vines) The male flowers always come first, then the females follow in a couple of weeks then you may have to hand pollinate them if there are not enough bees or insects. it is easy just pick a male flower and brush the pollen gently on the stigma of the female flower early in the morning, you can recognize the female flower because it has the small pumpkin under the flower. It is often suggested to cut the main long runner when about 10 feet long (3m) But here in the Lockyer valley the farmers plant acres of them & get tons of pumpkins, I am sure they don't go to that trouble, they just let them grow. A fertilizer PK of 6.6,6 is ideal as to much Phos. will grow all leaves and little or no pumpkins when the female flower isn't fertilized it will go black/brown and fall off. also if stung by fruit fly will do the same only if you break it open it will be full of fruit fly larvae. How ever when you have a pumpkin setting , you can grow it larger if you cut the vine runner off. can help protect it from fruit fly and birds by covering with straw or a larger pot with a bit of gauze in the bottom and place fruit fly traps. hope this helps. sgallan07

- sgallan07

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