When to Plant Pumpkins
Pumpkins are a tender warm-season vegetable. Frost damages them, so they go out only after the last spring frost.
Start seeds indoors in the 2 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out 2 to 4 weeks after the last frost. Or sow them where they will grow, 2 to 5 weeks after the last spring frost. The first harvest comes about 90 to 120 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Mar 1 – 15 | Apr 1 – 15 | May 1 – 15 |
| Harden off | Mar 22 – 28 | Apr 22 – 28 | May 22 – 28 |
| Plant out | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | Apr 29 – May 13 | May 29 – Jun 12 |
| Harvest | May 30 – Jun 20 | Jun 30 – Jul 21 | Jul 30 – Aug 20 |
| Direct-sown: Sow outdoors | Mar 29 – Apr 19 | Apr 29 – May 20 | May 29 – Jun 19 |
| Direct-sown: Harvest | Jun 27 – Jul 18 | Jul 28 – Aug 18 | Aug 27 – Sep 17 |
Growing pumpkins
Vines spread widely, so give pumpkins the edge of the garden and count back from when you want them ripe.
- Spacing: 48 in apart, in rows 72 in apart. In a raised bed, 1 per 9 sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 90 to 120 from sowing, then about 3 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: pumpkins are in the squash family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: cantaloupe, marigold, nasturtium, oregano, summer squash (zucchini/yellow), sweet corn, watermelon, winter squash. See companion plants for pumpkins.
- Usually kept apart from: potato.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant pumpkins and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start pumpkins indoors?
In the 2 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Apr 1 – 15. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can pumpkins go in before the last frost?
No. Pumpkins are damaged by frost: plant them out 2 to 4 weeks after the last spring frost.
How long do pumpkins take to grow?
About 90 to 120 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 3 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Germination Requirements for Annuals and Vegetables
- Iowa State: All About Pumpkins
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)