GreenlyHow to grow Pumpkin
Cucurbita pepo · winter squash
Large, trailing vine grown for its edible fruit. Requires warm soil, full sun, and ample space to spread.
Quick facts
| Type | Vegetable |
|---|---|
| Family | Cucurbitaceae |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil pH | 6–7 |
| Frost | does not tolerate frost |
| Soil for sowing | from 15 °C |
| Germination | 7 days |
| Seedlings ready | 30 days |
| Sowing to harvest | 110 days |
| Where it grows | Greenhouse, Open ground |
When to plant
Sow for seedlings about 5 weeks before planting out.
Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.
In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.
The first harvest comes about 110 days after the shoots appear.
Care
Greenhouse
| Stage | Watering | Temperature | Feeding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germination | every 2 days | 20…30 °C | — |
| Seedlings | every 3 days | 18…28 °C | balanced (NPK), 10 days into the stage |
Open ground
| Stage | Watering | Temperature | Feeding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germination | every 2 days | 20…30 °C | — |
| Seedlings | every 3 days | 18…28 °C | balanced (NPK), 10 days into the stage |
| Growth | every 4 days | 18…30 °C | nitrogen, at the start of the stage; balanced (NPK), 21 days into the stage |
| Flowering | every 5 days | 18…30 °C | phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage |
| Fruiting | every 5 days | 18…30 °C | potassium, at the start of the stage; potassium, 21 days into the stage |
| Harvest | every 7 days | 10…25 °C | — |
Growing notes
Light
Needs full sun — at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily for strong growth and fruit development.
Soil
Deep, fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter; amend with compost before planting.
Care
Sow seeds indoors 2–3 weeks before last frost or direct sow when soil is warm. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Hand-pollinate flowers if pollinators are scarce. Harvest before first frost, leaving a long stem to improve storage life.
How to tell it is ripe
- Skin is a deep, solid colour for the variety, orange for most.
- The stem where it joins the fruit has turned brown and woody (corky) instead of green and fleshy.
- The rind is hard and cannot be pierced with a thumbnail.
- Cut from the vine with pruners or a knife, leaving 8–10 cm of stem, and bring it in before heavy frost because a pumpkin without a stem keeps badly.
Pests and diseases of Pumpkin
- Anthracnose
- Bacterial wilt
- Cucumber beetles
- Downy Mildew
- Leaf Curl Virus
- Squash bug
- White mould (Sclerotinia)
Sources
Figures cited from these sources.