It's time to plant pumpkins!

It's not too late to plant pumpkins! If you plant them now, you'll have pumpkins ready in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving. It takes 95-110 days for a pumpkin to go from seed to fruit, depending on the variety. Although many gardeners plant pumpkin seeds in May, you can also plant them in June.

What do pumpkins need?

Space - Pumpkin plant vines can grow over 20 feet long. Give plants plenty of space to grow. Use a tomato cage or small trellis for mini pumpkin varieties. For larger pumpkins, vines can grow on a fence. Make sure to support each pumpkin with a “sling” like a t-shirt or tied nylon stocking tied that is also tied to the fence.

Mounds - Make a small mound or hill and plant 3-5 pumpkin seeds per hill. Create a small basin around each planting to help keep the soil moist until seedlings appear.

Water – Water early in the morning. As the plants mature, water deeply and infrequently to a depth of 12 inches, allowing the soil to dry out slightly between watering.

Fertilizer – If desired, you can use a vegetable fertilizer labeled for pumpkins.

Thinning – If growing large pumpkins, select the best-looking fruit when it is small, and remove the others. This will send all the nutrients into that pumpkin so it can grow large.

Possible Pests

If you see any of these pests on your plants, visit the UC IPM Website tips on what to do.

Aphids

Whiteflies

Powdery Mildew

Squash bugs

Just for Fun

When pumpkins are small, carve your name or a cool design on the skin and it will become more apparent and look extra spooky as the pumpkin gets larger.

Also, if you are on Facebook or Instagram, please follow us @UC Master Gardeners of Stanislaus County and @UCMGStanislaus (respectively).

Resources

Sonoma Master Gardeners: https://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Food_Gardening/Additional_KG_Articles/Pumpkins/

UC IPM Cultural Tips for Growing Pumpkins

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/pumpkins/cultural-tips/index.html?src=307-pageViewHLS