How to Grow Pumpkin

Whether it’s to carve a jack-o-lantern, make a delicious soup, pumpkin pie, add to a salad, or even use in cakes, the humble pumpkin is one of the best things any gardener can grow in terms of the volume of food it produces.

Pumpkins are a fantastic source of Vitamin B and just half a cup of pumpkin will give you twice the daily recommended dose of Vitamin A! On top of that, pumpkins are also rich in potassium, protein, iron, and fibre whilst being 80-90% water making them low in calories.

The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word pepon which means “large melon” which makes sense when you consider that both melons and pumpkins are members of the curcubit family along with cucumbers, zucchini, and gourds.

When to grow pumpkin

Pumpkins love to grow during the warmest parts of the year except for in tropical areas where you will have more luck growing during your cooler periods. The best time to plant is in spring/summer, after the last frost when soil temperatures are 21-35°C or 70-95°F.

Pumpkin varieties

With over 150 varieties of pumpkins around the world, ranging in colours, sizes, and flavours, you are absolutely spoilt for choice when it comes to pumpkin varieties. There are even varieties that are only grown for their aesthetics. Here are a few of the more popular edible options in Australia:

· Kent/Jap – heirloom variety suited to all climates

· Queensland Blue – large fruits with dark grey/blue skin and bright orange flesh

· Waltham Butternut – pear-shaped, smaller fruit with a pale skin and nutty flavour

· Jack O’ Lantern – large, orange-skinned fruit that is ideal for carving and great for pies and soups

· Small Sugar – heirloom variety with small round fruit and sugary sweet flavour ideal for pies and baking but also soups and casseroles.

· Jarrahdale – Western Australian heirloom variety with large fruit, excellent flavour, and small seed cavity.

How to grow pumpkin from seeds

Many of the people I’ve spoken to have similar stories about pumpkin vines volunteering to grow in a lot of strange ways – from long forgotten seeds in the compost bin, scraps containing seeds thrown to the pigs or chickens, or simply throwing the seeds out in a garden bed somewhere and forgetting about them. The funny thing is that these “volunteer” pumpkin vines often seem to be the ones that are healthiest and most prolific. So, if you are into lazy gardening, you can just throw out some seeds and hope for the best.

If you prefer to have more control over where your pumpkin vine grows, or you want to grow a variety whose fruit you can’t access locally, then you’ll want to get your hands on some seeds and plant as follows.

Ideally, pumpkins don’t like to be transplanted but direct sowing may not always be feasible, and it is possible to plant seeds in seedling trays and then carefully transplant them. Using a soil block, biodegradable pot, or a tray that can be cut away may be a better option to avoid disturbing the roots of your seedling. If you are short on space, then a grow bag can work well too.

It’s a good idea to soak the seeds before planting – around 6 to 24 hours depending on how thick the seed coat is. Pumpkin seeds like to be sown fairly deep at around 2-3cm (around an inch) and with the pointy end facing down as that is where the root will emerge from. Keep the soil moist but not wet and wait 5-10 days for your seedlings to emerge.

How to grow pumpkin from seedlings

If you are transplanting your seedlings, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got lovely soil rich in organic matter and with good drainage, as pumpkin vines need a lot of fuel to grow beautiful big pumpkins.

Mound up the soil and plant your seedling nice and deep with a shallow trench around the seedling to enable the soil to hold onto a little extra water. Be sure to allow a lot of room, as pumpkin vines love to wander and take up space! Lightly water the seedling in with a seaweed solution such as the Plant Doctor’s Seaweed Secrets (use SSME10 for 10% off your order) to minimise transplant shock.

Keep your pumpkin vine well-watered, and fertilise regularly to help fuel that growth. When watering, try not to spray the leaves and water at the base of the plant instead as that will help to avoid powdery mildew on the leaves which can negatively affect your plant.

When you start to see your pumpkin vine flowering, you will notice there are two different types of flowers – a male and a female. The male flower has a long stem and a stamen in the middle that protrudes and is covered in pollen. The female flower will have a tiny pumpkin sitting behind the flower and instead of a stamen, will have a cluster that is designed to collect pollen. If you have an abundance of pollinators (eg. bees, flies, ants, wasps etc) then you might not need to worry about pollination as they will do all the hard work for you. On the other hand, if you aren’t seeing any pollinators around your pumpkins, you might want to hand pollinate to be sure you get some pumpkins growing. You can do this by taking the male flower off the stem, peeling off the flower petals and rubbing the stamen in and around the cluster on the female flower (here’s our detailed guide with photos).

Once the fruits have started growing, be on the lookout for pest damage or splitting, as this can allow other pests access through the pumpkin skin and you may attract more pests by leaving them there.

How long does pumpkin take to grow?

Pumpkins require a bit of patience – they can grow very quickly in the beginning which will get you all excited and then take a long time to ripen. The important thing is not to jump the gun and pick it before it’s had a chance to ripen and develop the sweetness pumpkin is so popular for.

When to harvest pumpkin

When to harvest your pumpkin depends heavily on the variety you are growing and your climate. In some climates, you may find the vine dies off completely in which case you’ll know that it’s time to harvest. In other climates, the vine may never die off.

The most common way to tell if a pumpkin is ready, is to tap the pumpkin and listen for a hollow sound…but that’s not especially reliable.

Size, colour, and weight can all be good indicators of ripeness but my go-to for a readiness check is when the stalk has become less flexible and kind of woody because it shows that the vine has given the fruit all the nutrients it needs and is starting to put its energy into other fruits. Additionally, you’ll see a ‘tendril’ right near the stalk. When this tendril looks completely dead, the pumpkin will be ready.

You may also end up harvesting for other reasons such as pest activity, rot, or broken stems.

Once you harvest, your pumpkin can be eaten straight away but if you want to store it longer term then you’ll want to “cure” it by keeping it somewhere cool and dry with a bit of airflow which allows the skin and stalk to harden off making it less susceptible to rot.

Mark’s top tips for growing pumpkin

Give your pumpkin plenty of space to roam and meander around as this will encourage the plant to root down and create stronger vines thus better and more fruit.

You may also want to check out Mark’s videos for more tips: “5 Tips How to Grow a TON of Pumpkins at Home” “Instead of Tapping a Pumpkin Do These 5 Things to Check for Ripeness” “The EASIEST Pumpkin to Grow for ALL Climates”

How did you go growing pumpkin?

Mark and the Self Sufficient Me team love hearing about your growing success so leave a comment and a photo below to let us know how you went growing pumpkin.

If you had some trouble growing pumpkin or simply want to pick Mark’s brain about your self-sufficiency goals or projects, you may want to consider becoming a patreon for exclusive content and email access for less than a restaurant meal each month!