How to Grow Pumpkins: Complete Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Storing

Hi, Wylie, Lots of things can cause lack of pollination. Some of the most common causes are lack of pollinators; weather, specifically extreme heat or cold temps. Varieties differ in their reaction to temp changes. Nitrogen levels in the soil can also affect fruit set. Excess nitrogen results in vigorous vine growth and delays flowering. You might do a soil test to assess its composition. We hope this helps!

Glad too hear things are going so well for you, Shawna. Here's where you can get your first/last frost dates: https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates 

If indeed your LAST frost date—the one that ends the winter—is Jan 12 or 21, then you have a long growing season. If when the time comes you think that indeed there would not be any frosts after that date it would seem like you could plant. BUT, you have to remember that the dates are not absolutes; they are estimates based on historical weather patterns...and we all know that those can shift. To be on the safe side, since it appears that you do have a long season, you could start seeds indoors or simply wait a while, based to a certain extent on the growth period to maturity that the pumpkin needs (which appears to be about 100 days). Would an early start produce a larger squash? Hard to tell. One source suggests that the seeds produce pumpkins of 6 to 10 pounds. But it could depend on numerous factors, from weather to soil to water and more. And, no small matter, rotating your crops. Try to avoid growing your pumps in the same spot you grew them in this year. Hope this helps!

Thanks for your comments!

Hello, MJ, "Regular" usually means once per week (e.g., regular watering usually means once per week), but it can depend to a certain extent on what ferilizer product you use, Consult the packaging for guidance first. Old or aged manure standardly means at least a year old. Anything younger/newer could be too "hot" and burn the plant/s. See here for more in manure: https://www.almanac.com/what-best-manure-compost-gardens and search this site for "manure," too. Compost and aged manure combined is best; one or the other may be adequate depending on your overall situation (soil quality, etc., the best measure of which is a soil test; see https://www.almanac.com/how-take-soil-test and search "soil test" on this web site for more info). For more in nitrogen and phosphorus, see this page, which explains their presence in commercial fertilzers: https://www.almanac.com/content/npk-ratio-what-do-numbers...

We hope this helps.

It depends where you live. In warm-winter regions,you can sow pumpkin seeds in midwinter for harvest in early summer.

Good question! I don't believe squash (including pumpkins) rely on changes in photoperiod (day length) to trigger flowering. If started from seed in the spring, squash will flower before the June solstice, while daylight hours are still increasing. Flowering is affected more by temperature and light intensity. Perhaps one of those factors is causing your plant not to flower yet. Or, it could simply be that it's not old enough or requires a different nutrient mix (less nitrogen). Here's some more info about growing squash and pumpkins via Purdue University: https://www.agry.purdue.edu/CCA/2007/2007/Proceedings/Liz...">Cucurbit Growth and Development

No, the stone wall should not have any adverse effect on the pumpkin's growth! 

Here's what the Pennsylvania State coop-extension advises: Unripe pumpkins can continue to ripen off the vine provided they have started to turn orange. If you are impatient and must have that pumpkin sitting on the porch now—or if the perfectly shaped pumpkin at the farmer's market still has some green on it—go ahead and harvest! Also, if disease or pests are damaging the vines, or there is a threat of a hard freeze, it's time to bring those pumpkins in. Pumpkins can survive a light frost that will damage vines, but a hard freeze (<28°F) will weaken the rind and give bacteria an entry which can shorten storage time significantly. The semi-ripened fruits should be cut off the vines and set to cure in a well-ventilated space with temperatures from 80°to 85°F and relative humidity between 80 and 85%. Semi-ripened fruits do not store well.

You can eat pumpkin that ripens off the vine but it may not have the most desirable taste. At least you have something for your efforts!

If you've harvested all your pumpkins, the plants can be disposed of. Cut back the vines and pull up the main part of the plant, then toss it all on the compost pile if the plants seem relatively disease free. Generally, we recommend not growing the same crop in the same spot in back-to-back seasons (a technique called https://www.almanac.com/video/how-rotate-your-vegetable-c...">crop rotation), as this can increase the likelihood that the same pests and disease will accumulate in that space. However, if your plants seemed healthy throughout the season, you can start to https://www.almanac.com/fall-soil-preparation">prepare your soil now.

The Jack O' Lantern variety averages 110 days to maturity in full sun with proper food and water. See more detail about this variety: https://www.burpee.com/vegetables/pumpkins/pumpkin-jack-o...

The problem is water, either administered or from the sky. Too much of it, which promotes fungus. Put something under the pumpkins to keep them off the wet ground, something that does not "hold" water like a board or even plastic. Newspaper, for ex., would hold the moisture.

Here's more about squash bugs: https://www.almanac.com/pest/squash-bugs">https://www.almanac.com/pest/squash-bugs

It could be that your soil has too much nitrogen, which promotes leafy growth. Do a soil test.

We responded about female flowers because that is a common problem. We hope this response is your solution.

Hi Amanda,
Sometimes persistent hot and humid weather can delay the plant from producing female flowers, and therefore from producing fruit. Pumpkins need a lot of constant watering, so try increasing the amount you're watering your plants. There's still time to produce a few pumpkins! We hope this helps.

Normally, you can seed pumpkins through July 1 in North Carolina. https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads..." target="_blank">See more detail here.

We've searched our resources and can not find a specific cause—so many thing afflict pumpkins! See above for pests and diseases and if you don't find a satisfactory result, contact your local cooperative extension (click here or above https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-ser...">https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-ser...); they know you area and general conditions better than we do.

Hope you fin an answer—and a solution. 

You'll want to keep a close eye on the forecast for nights when temperatures dip into the mid-30s. When it gets that low, you should protect your pumpkins with some sort of breathable material—like sheets or a blanket—so that they aren't exposed directly to frost and ruined. If it gets much lower than freezing, there's not much you can do, unfortunately.

Note that when the leaves die off, the pumpkins won't continue to grow, so that will be your signal to harvest.

Ah, yes, the classic hybrid pumpkin mystery!

Believe it or not, pumpkins and zucchini (as well as a number of other squash) are actually the same species of plant, Cucurbita pepo. They are different varieties of C. pepo, but because they are the same species, they are able to hybridize and produce hybrid fruit. So, it seems that a bee that pollinated your pumpkins last year had previously pollinated a zucchini plant (or another type of squash), which has resulted in a funky, hybrid fruit. The funny thing is that your pumpkins last year will have looked completely normal—but the seeds inside them were hybrids. 

On the bright side, the hybrid squash are safe to eat (though we can't say how tasty they'll be)!

Usually, poor fruit set for pumpkins is due to high temperatures during flowering in July. Day temperatures in the 90s or night temperatures in the high 70s will cause flower and small fruit abortion. Is it too hot? Lack of water can also cause stress. Are you watering enough?

Poor pollination can be an issue. A pumpkin plant has both male and female flowers and the first female flower opens one week after the first male opens. The flowers only last a few hours, blooming at dawn and closing later in the morning but well before noon. Pollinators need to be active during this short period. Do you have native pollinators such as bumblebees and squash bees? If not, you could hand pollinate your squash. (We have videos on our site to help).

Finally, too much nitrogen in your fertilizer can also delay pumpkin fruit set. Pumpkins do not normally need more than 80 lbs/acre N to grow a crop. Fertilizing above 100 lbs/acre N may cause the pumpkins to put on excessive vine growth and delay fruiting.

It is likely that the soil does not contain all of the nutrients that the plant needs. Nitrogen is important, and watering tends to wash the nitrogen out of the soil, or dilute it. Do a soil test and see if you can assess its needs that way.

Sorry to say, too, we can not rule out disease, such as a wilt. Or bugs.

Here's an idea: nurse this plant for as long as you can, then harvest the pumpkins, remove and save the seeds, then plant them next season in a properly prepared bed! (See above.)

Thank you for calling these typos to our attention! They've now been fixed.

Thank you for sharing your treasured recipes! I'm looking for these tested & adored garden creations. I would have never thought of putting smoked meats in with squash- you've triggered my inner creative cook & now possibilities with cucurbits are endless!

you shouldn't have moved them, you have likely damaged the roots, but it's not the end of the world. You should mulch em real deep and give them something in their water to help the roots grow- in my garden we would use willow tea, which is made by gathering as many willow leaves and branches as you can and putting them all into a big 5 gallon pail, up to halfway full. Then you fill it the rest of the way with water and let it soak for 3/4 days, stirring it around every day. The willow will first steep into the water and then rot down. You should add about a cup of this to your watering can of at least a gallon every time you water every 3 plants. You can, after the first two weeks, add in vegetable scraps and stuff you would compost, and especially bananas. (They have phosphorous which is really good for pumpkins.) It will all rot down and make a really beneficial compost tea for your pumpkins. It's a bit smelly but it's free and they love it, and the willow will give you fabulous roots. give the pumpkins this compost tea, diluted, every time or every other time you water. I give it every other time in spring and every time in hot summer. good luck!

you're okay with the pumpkins as they are. If you can, it would be a good idea to cut a bottle in half, press it into the soil right near the plants but not so close as to damage the roots (say 4 inches away? 6?) and then cover the ground, forming around the plants and bottle and not moving or bending them if you can help it, with tin foil. the tin foil reflects light up onto the leaves and helps to prevent rot, acts as mulch and keeps weeds down and moisture in, and the bottle lets you water through the foil. alternatively you could also shallowly plant beans in the same pot and support them with bamboo stakes shaped and tied at the top into a teepee. the beans give them nutrients through the roots and will shade the soil and keep moisture in.

Best of luck with your pumpkins!

always try your hardest and always don`t give up

Typically, pumpkin harvest season lasts from September to December.

No, it's better to remove them from your garden and put them in a compost pile, where they can break down more thoroughly. If they showed any signs of disease, you'll want to remove them and throw them in the trash so as not to spread the disease to your compost pile.

You have 2 kinds of flowers female/male, although that you need bees to do their job!!!, to take pollen form the female flower to the male flower, i lo e in Argentina, and beside bees I have hummingbird living near. Both pollinate the flowers. You can do it, keep it trying. I hope My poor English do te breake yogures eyes. Saludos

On my previous question, I meant to say, how long will it take the green pumpkins to turn "orange"?

We're so sorry that you have lost so much of your crops! Problems in the garden can be caused by insects, animals, disease, weather (too much/too little rain or too hot/cold), cultural conditions (such as soil pH), etc. If you are sure that the problems are caused by insects, spraying Sevin, a broad-spectrum insecticide, may help your tomatoes or other plants, depending on what the insects are that are attacking them (for example, Sevin is not labeled to control whiteflies), and how much damage has already been caused. Always follow manufacturer's instructions, which will tell you about application timing, what insects it will control, and safety precautions, including how long you need to wait until it is safe to harvest (for tomatoes and squash, it is at least 3 days; for kidney beans and similar, it's 21 days). For information about tomato pests, you might visit: https://www.almanac.com/plant/tomatoes">https://www.almanac.com/plant/tomatoes. This video also covers several common pests, diseases, and cultural problems of tomatoes: https://www.almanac.com/video/troubleshooting-tomato-prob...">https://www.almanac.com/video/troubleshooting-tomato-prob.... Squash and zucchini information can be found here: https://www.almanac.com/plant/squash-and-zucchini">https://www.almanac.com/plant/squash-and-zucchini. Also, here is a video on aphid control https://www.almanac.com/video/aphids-pest-control-tips-ho...">https://www.almanac.com/video/aphids-pest-control-tips-ho... Hope this helps!

First year growing pumpkins. Lots of blooms on healthy vines but no pumpkins yet. Planted last week of June.

You might have mildew -- if so, a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a quart of water and sprayed on liberally works for me. YOu can also look for other mildew cures.

Use a hoe. It's organic. Any weedkiller might also harm insects like spiders or even hedgehogs, which are your friends.

I was just going to suggest using your hands to remove the weeds. 100% organic.

The trouble is, you don't know what type you've got, and it might be a hybrid because it's possibly one type fertilised by another type that created the seeds that are growing. Fun, random luck, but if you want to take it seriously, grow a type you've researched. I recommend spaghetti squash to amuse kids, or uchiki kuri for a sweet-potato like taste.

There are main vines (coming from the base/center of the plant), secondary vines which come off of the main ones, and tertiary vines that grow off of the secondaries. All of these may have flowers. Once fruit has started to develop on the vines, some gardeners like to prune the main and secondary vines to 10 to 15 feet (burying the cut tips in soil). Then they remove the tertiary vines completely. Others go a step further and trim the main and secondaries so that each only has 2 to 3 pumpkins developing on them (keeping several feet of vine/leaves past the last fruit).  Hope this helps!

There are several reasons why pumpkin flowers may drop. If you sure that it isn't a pest, then check to see if these flowers are male. The male flowers appear earlier (a few weeks) than the female ones, and can drop after a while. Unlike the male flowers, the female flowers have a little bulge at the base, which will turn into the pumpkin once pollinated. If these are not pollinated, the female flowers will drop. Also, in high heat (in the 90s or above), or during drought or other stress, the plant may drop its flowers. Be sure that the plant is getting enough water (but is not waterlogged), and check the soil nutrients and pH. If you are experiencing a heat wave, you might shade the plant during peak temperatures. New flowers should form once temperatures or other conditions become better. Male flowers should also keep forming when female flowers start to appear. If you suspect a pollination issue, you might dry dusting pollen from a male flower onto a female flower by hand--heat can affect pollination as well, but this can at least increase the chance for fruit development.

Sprinkle salt and black pepper on plants to keep off insects.I use this method on my tomatoes and pumpkins It works for me .

Hopefully you’ve already discovered the reason for your pumpkin issues but have you check for the Squash Vine Borer? It is my arch enemy every year. If the vine borer has gotten to it, that could be causing your wilting problems during the day. Unfortunately if you haven’t already caught this then your pumpkins are probably done for

Don't worry about leaves wilting during the heat of the day as long as they recover by morning. I would worry about the leaves turning brown. Don't water the leaves, water the ground as much as possible. Don't shade the plants they want lots of sun. Squash are very hardy plants so just be patient.

When pumpkins drop their flowers or fruit, it's usually a sign that they aren't getting enough water. While they are growing their fruit, they should be watered regularly and kept moist. Extremely hot summer temperatures can exacerbate this problem, too. Using a drip irrigation system is ideal, as it will provide consistent watering right at the soil level.

Thanks, Jason. Your advice, and maybe a few particulars from above, could result in something wonderful! Thanks for your palpable enthusiasm!

I have never been successful growing pumpkins in containers -- they just stay small and produce nothing but the occasional male flower. Do you know what I can be doing wrong? I have used rich soil and keep them watered. I can grow them in the garden, although I usually get only one per plant as my growing season is short.

Generally speaking, pots for pumpkins are recommended as the bigger the better. Some say 10-gallon is the minimum for a small pumpkin. with large cultivars going into 12- to 15-gallon (20- to 24-inch diameter) pots. Moving it or not is a tough call. It's great to hear that it's going well, but it's early in the season. If you decide to transplant don't wait too long; and when/if you do, disturb the roots as little as possible so it will not need a lot of time to settle into its new pot. Good luck!

How do you pronounce pumpkin?

Removing some flowers makes the remaining pumpkins bigger. Experiment!!!!

Happily, both squash and melon are considered planting companions for corn; they help each other thrive. For suggestions on how to grow squash and corn together, please see our "Three Sisters" article: https://www.almanac.com/content/three-sisters-corn-bean-a...

We do not have any experience with growing pumpkins in Costa Rica so we can only offer a few ideas: Plant in a large container that can be protected from excess rain (move it, shield it). But rain usually brings clouds, which cancel sunlight, and your plant needs at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. See the response below: If temperatures are suitable—in the 70s—perhaps you can plant and harvest before the rains come.

Here is a link from college student who studied growing "tropical pumpkins" in Costa Rica; she may be a source of information: https://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/spring-2017/exploring-...

And, you might contact local farmers in your area and see if they have any advice or experience. We hope this helps!

TIming, sunlight, and where you plant pumpkins can make a difference. The air and soil need to be warm enough for the seeds to germinate. The vines needs at least six hours of sunlight. And the plants need space to spread out their vines. Choose air, not oven, dried seeds (oven drying can remove too much moisture). In most cases, pumpkins need between 80 and 130 days to become mature. Instead of direct sowing (setting seeds in-ground) you can start your seeds indoors (check you last frost date https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates), but you will need to acclimate them to the outdoors (harden them off) before transplanting them. Hope this helps!

I grew Jack o Lanterns this year. My mound I put in 2 seeds for each mound. I have 2 mounds and my backyard has a pretty small size. Without measuring my backyard, I did this based off of the seeds (2 for each mound). When the vines grew out, I have neighbors so I had to send the vines back into it's area. I had to make the area round so it won't crawl into the nieghbor yard...now I have 6 pumpkins. I didn't use a bed...

One seed source says that the spread of 'Jack O' Lantern' pumpkins is 6 feet. The hill can be about 8 to 10 inches high and 12 inches in diameter. If your raised bed does not allow plant access to the ground soil, then you should have it at least 24 inches deep; 36 inches is better. Otherwise, if the pumpkins can sink their roots into the ground, 12 inches or so high for the bed edges should be fine.

We're happy to hear that you had such a successful growing season! Keep up the good work!

Try the methods listed in the Harvest/Storage section, above, to determine whether your pumpkins are fully ripe. If they are, you can cut them off the vine and cure them in a sunny spot for several days. Here's a video about http://www.almanac.com/video/how-grow-cure-and-store-pump...">Curing and Storing Pumpkins.

With a nice consistent, cooler temperature, pumpkins can last many months inside your home. I literally have pumpkins last 6 to 8 months inside each year. Most of which sit out on our front steps until the temperatures begin to dip near freezing. If you are storing pumpkins inside, just make sure there isn't excessive moisture accumulating between the bottom of the pumpkin & the storage spot. Places like concrete floors in basements often need a buffer of material to allow airflow... Wooden pallets work great for this.

Hi Andrea,

There's not much to be done to fix the vines that were uprooted or smashed. Since pumpkins are still being produced and ripen, just leave them be!

Yes, the photo at the top of this page is in the public domain and may be used however you like! Note that the other pumpkin photos on this page are from the National Garden Bureau, however.

I don't have much time to write, but whatever you do...do not cut the vine as you will have problems. The vines anchor down and draw nutrients from the soil.

See the Care notes above, Gia. Are you fertilizing? Have you trimmed the stems? Details above. Pumpkins need water; see above, but too much rain can be too much. And pumpkins like—need—hot temps. Some parts of the country have just not been how this summer! Read the advice above and see if you can bring your plants to fruition!

Hi, Mary! What a great surprise! Everything you should need to bring these beauties into fruitfulnes and harvest is in the tips, above—care, maintenance, fert, the works! Let us know if you need anything else. Cheers!

Good for you! You've hit the jack (o lantern) pot! We are especially impressed with your plants on the north (least sunny) side. You must have a green thumb.

Good questions, good plan! You'll find good answers about everything above, in the bullet points related to planting and caring for your vines and fruits. Side-dressing is a form of fertilizing, so consider that as you read.

Here's hoping for a hefty harvest!

About thinning: thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill by snipping off unwanted plants without disturbing the roots of the remaining ones. Do this before you do anything else. And weed. Once the plants spread vines there should be far weeds. And mulch.

Drip irrigation is a slow, fairly steady release of water that gets to plant roots. Aim to replicate that with water of one inch per week, more during fruit set.

Water is important but read the "Pump Up Your Pumpkins" advice above; fertilizer is also going to improve your chances for a hefty harvest.

Hi David,

We're sorry to hear of your garden troubles! It sounds like it could be a skunk doing the digging, though it could also be a raccoon or a couple of squirrels. Getting rid of the pill bugs might stop the animal from coming around; spread diatomaceous earth around plants and throughout the garden to reduce the number of pill bugs. Also, try putting up a short fence—2 to 3 feet high—and see what happens. Skunks can climb fences, but they usually choose not to. 

Yellowing leaves at the bottom of the plant (the older leaves) sometimes mean an iron deficiency. Pumpkins are big feeders so perhaps they at a lot when you were gone and you need to feed them some more! We're not sure what you mean by the vine "darkening." As the pumpkin reaches maturity, the vine is more likely to turn yellow.  If the leaves start to wilt, look at the base of the plant and ensure you don't have the squash vine borer. See more about identification and control: http://www.almanac.com/pest/squash-vine-borer

The spacing will depend on the type of pumpkin you are growing. (The 15 plants are all pumpkins, right?) Ideally, follow the suggestions on the seed packet or transplant. In general, mini pumpkins may need about 1.5 to 3 feet between each after thinning, while standard pumpkins need about 3 to 5 feet. In a planter, the giant type of pumpkin likely wouldn't be appropriate. For standard types in a 3x3 bed, thin out your 15 pumpkin plants to just 1 or 2, snipping the stems off at the soil surface, so as not to disturb the roots of the plant(s) you'd like to keep. For mini pumpkins, you might be able to keep 2 or 3 plants. (For pumpkins, it's better to have a deeper container, such as 2 to 3 feet deep, if possible.) Good luck!

Try adding a high-phosphorus fertilizer to increase bloom production. Some pros say that if plants are too close the competition between plants can reduce the number of female flowers; could this be it?

Pumpkins love fertile soil. Before planting, spade the soil about a foot deep and mix in some compost, manure, or well-balanced fertilizer. Then plant two or three seeds in a group about an inch apart in moist soil.

For such a specific location, we would encourage you to ask your Nebraska county extension: http://epd.unl.edu/

I'm not familiar with any books on growing just pumpkins, but a quick search online does list a few on growing pumpkins in general, or the huge record-breaking kind. For example, "The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving" by Gail Damerow (1997) and "Gardener's Guide to the Pumpkin and Winter Squash" by Paul R. Wonning (2016). Hope this helps!

Wow, Jacob, there are so many ways to answer your question. Will your seeds survive? For one thing, it depends on where you are. Is it summer there? If there is any risk of frost, see here for when that might be: http://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates/zipcode/03444 You have to be wary of a late frost that might kill your plants.

Even a big pot may not be enough for a pumpkin. Plus, pots heat up (and dry out) faster than the ground soil does. So while that may seem advantageous, it means you need to be ready to water more often. You have not mentioned the type of soil you used; we will presume it is good quality compost.

lease understand that we are not trying to discourage you; we just do not have enough information on your particular situation. With time and your careful attention, you might have a bumper crop of pumpkins! We are just trying to point out a few considerations.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

Jacob, I planted my very first pumpkin in a wooden pot a few years ago. It was one of those wooden crate looking pots from Lowe's. The soil where I live is horrible but I can't dig down deeply enough because of the granite running below my house. I kept an eye on the pot (it was a 2' in diameter pot, about 12" deep) and made sure it was well-drained and watered when needed. The vine grew very well and very long. The only issue I had was not enough pollination. All of my pretty flowering plants were on the other side of my house. I know better now! So yes! Pots DO work for pumpkins. Just keep an eye on it for moisture balance. I live in Zone 6A, by the way, in case that means anything for you.

Hi, Rochelle! This is a delightful message to get on a gray day. THANK YOU for taking the time to get in touch. Happy to hear that you've got your grandkid—son? daughter?—interested in the Almanac and, we presume, gardening. Can we take just a minute to suggest that he/she might also enjoy The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids?! You can read about it here (and buy it, if you chose): https://store.almanac.com/product/old-farmers-almanac-kid...

We just want to let you know that kids can't put it down (and parents can't wait to pick it up and read it themselves)!

Have a wonderful day and bountiful season!

Hello, IAM so thankful to whoever put together this agriculture message. IAM here in Uganda and want to grow these vines seriously.I have not been employed but I feel this project will do it for me. Thank you so much!

If the vines are getting mushy, keep an eye on the pumpkins themselves, which may rot. You might want to harvest the pumpkins soon, especially if the mushy stem area is close to the pumpkins. You can then try to ripen them off the vine. Sometimes this works.

To do this, cut the pumpkin from the vine, leaving about 4 inches of healthy stem (if possible). Wash it, dry it thoroughly, and set it out on a sunny patio or similar dry spot in the sunshine (take in at night). Or, if it is still rainy, you can choose a spot indoors that receives strong sunlight. Rotate the pumpkin during the day to expose all sides to the strongest sunlight. Sometimes, if the pumpkin is past a certain point in its development, it will eventually turn orange (within a few weeks).

That is great that you got pumpkins from seeds 5 years or older; seed viability for pumpkins is said to be about 4 or 5 years. However, it appears that the pumpkin fruit aborting when small might be a pollination or growing condition issue. Sometimes developing fruit can abort if the plant is stressed or injured, especially high temperature (high 80s or 90s F in day, 70s at night). Drought or flood can also cause this symptom, as well as insect or disease damage. Check to make sure the soil pH is optimum. You might also try hand pollinating to help proper pollination.

If your pumpkins are still on the vine, leave them there. Cut away any leaves tha might block sunlight. If a frost threatens, cover the fruit and the vine. Keep the fruit and vine covered, if cold is predicted to continue.
If you feel that the season is truly finished (and this time will vary from place to place), harvest the pumpkin from the garden. Wash off the dirt. Put the pumpkin on a  sunny deck or patio, with the green side facing the sun. If cold threatens, be sure to bring the pumpkin indoors. If you prefer, bring the pumpkin inside, and place in similar conditions. Make sure the pumpkin has good air circulation. Rotate the pumpkin every day or so. Neither of these methods are fool-proof/guaranteed. No matter what color  it is, your pumpkin will make a great jack o'lantern and you can be proud of having grown it yourself.

Hi, Jill, You do not indicate where you are located but, almost no matter: you probably will not see any pumpkins this year. It's just too late in season—not enough sunlight/day length and heat, primarily. Without more information it would be difficult to explain what happened/why; our best guess would be that you started the seeds or seedlings too late in the season OR the weather did not cooperate, bringing too much or too little heat, or too much or too little water. Soil may be a factor... just too many possibilities at this time.

DO NOT GIVE UP! Think about these "maybe's" and plan to try again next season. It will be here before you know it!

Your flowers aren't being pollinated. I found this out, myself, with my first pumpkin plant. I had a vine full of beautiful flowers but only had 3 pumpkins grow. I read up and asked nurseries and found out the flowers on the other side of my house were attracting the bees and birds there, keeping them away from helping to pollinate the flowers. The flowers are male and female and the pollen needs to spread between them. You can do this with a q-tip or using the male stem. Look on You Tube for this video: "Hand Pollinating Pumpkins!" by Home Farm Ideas. He shows you how to do it.

If the stems are not crushed, torn, or separated from the pumpkins they should be ok. The leaves turn yellow for several reasons, including age (they are nearing maturity), nutrient deficiency (nitrogen, in particular; were they fed satisfactorily this season), water stress, infestation (it happens), or disease. You can try to remedy accordingly; however, if there is stem damage, the "fix" may have difficulty getting to the fruit. We can not know for certain if the pumpkins will mature; only Mother Nature knows. With temps near freezing, it would be wise to protect the plants with cover—layers of newspaper, frost blankets, whatever will keep the cold and possible dampness off. (Sorry we onl got to this on Sept 14; hope your plants are ok.) As you probably know, pumpkins thrive in warm conditions and they have a relatively long maturity period. So take heart in the fact that you brought them along this far. And if they do not all mature, start thinking about how you will grow them next year—what varieties, when/how to start them, etc. You did well! A lot of people would be envious (we are! do try to find out what wicked thing went your way so you can avoid that next year, too!).

Be very careful with the stems when you harvest gourds (or pumpkins), as they can damage easily. A strong connection is important, so as to avoid tears and splits that can invite disease and pests. If your gourds are showing splitting and leaking, it could be due to a few things, including the onset of rot. Separate those that are leaking from those that aren't, just in case it is a disease. In some cases, small splits may heal during curing. Make sure that the gourds have plenty of air circulation.

You might also want to make sure that the gourds aren't getting too hot, which can also cause cracking. Place the gourds in partial shade, to see if that helps to prevent further splits.

Congrats on your giant pumpkin!  What usually happens is that a pumpkin plant has multiple vines and you may have as many as 7 or 8 pumpkins growing. Normally, if people want a giant pumpkin, they choose the best pumpkin and remove most of the rest so the plant puts all its energy into the one pumpkin. You can still do this if you wish. Maybe cull it down to 2 or 3. Up to you! Pumpkins on the main vine or secondary (next biggest) vine usually have the most promise in terms of pure size.

Giant pumpkins may split during the period of rapid growth, usually around July and August. Depending on the position of the fruit in relation to the stem and vine, it can cause splitting. Time your fertilizer and watering at a consistent, moderate pace throughout the growing season. It also helps to avoid splitting by protecting the growing fruit with shade cloth (but not the plant, which needs the full sun); shading helps to keep the skin of the fruit more flexible. Carefully support the vine as it meets the stem; some gardeners detach the secondary roots along the vine for about the length of 3 leaves, so that the vine can lift as the pumpkin grows in height. If small splits start, reduce watering and fertilizing, and apply a fungicide. Deeper cracks may invite rot.

It is not all that unusual for pumpkins to start ripening in late August or early September. Weather can be an influence. Leave them on the vine for as long as possible, and plan to cure them before storing.

It is sometimes difficult to time the planting pumpkins so that they mature right around October; it can be a juggling act of variety (which can affect days to maturity), environmental conditions, and other factors. See above article for signs of when to harvest pumpkins (such as even coloring, skin has lost its initial shine, tendrils nearest the fruit are withered). If it appears that your pumpkins are fully ripe, it might be best to harvest them now, as keeping them in the pumpkin patch may encourage disease, insects, and animals. Follow the storage guidelines in the above article. Before curing, it may help discourage bacteria if you wash the pumpkin with a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, and remove dirt etc. Once cured, store in a cool, dry, dark place, with good air circulation. Temperature should be about 50 to 55F, and relative humidity about 50 to 75 percent. Do no store with apples. Under proper conditions, the pumpkins may last 2 to 3 months.

I am having the same problem with 1 inch few day old pumpkins starting out yellow and dying. They start as normal from a seemingly healthy plant but the stem turns yellow as does the pumpkin which then shrivels up and dies.

It would be best to thin them to 2 to 3 plants per hill. Select the most vigorous looking to keep, once they get a few inches tall. Snip off the ones you don't want at the base (do not pull them out, or it may disturb the roots of the others you want to keep). Thinning down to just a few plants reduces competition for water and nutrients (pumpkins are thirsty and hungry plants), gives each plant more room to grow (they love to sprawl!), and allows more air circulation (very important for combating powdery mildew, a troublemaker for pumpkins). It sounds like you have a great pumpkin patch coming along! Good luck!

If you are sure that your plant has powdery mildew, cut the diseased vines and leaves to try to avoid its spread. Be sure to clean your pruners with a diluted bleach solution (about 1 part bleach to 9 parts water) before each cut, so as not to spread the disease. Toss the affected vines in the trash -- do not compost or bury in the soil, as the disease will linger. Powdery mildew can spread through the air; it thrives in warm temperatures and humid conditions (such as from dew or rain), especially if there is poor air circulation. Avoid overhead watering -- water at the base of the plant instead so as not to wet the leaves, and water in the morning, so that the sun can dry surfaces before nightfall.

Spray the top and undersides of remaining healthy leaves, as well as the vines and stems, with fungicide registered for edible plants/pumpkins. For more information, see:

http://www.almanac.com/pest/powdery-mildew

If you have pumpkins on the vine that are close to mature size, leave them on the apparently healthy vine as long as possible, without encouraging rot, to help them to ripen as much as they can. When powdery mildew infects a vine, sometimes the yield, taste, and quality of the pumpkins will be affected (such as reduced size, and sunburn), especially if they can not reach full maturity. If you must harvest a developing pumpkin, such as from a diseased vine, then you can try to ripen it by washing it, drying thoroughly, and setting it out on a sunny patio or similar dry spot in the sunshine (take in at night). Or, you can choose a spot indoors that receives strong sunlight. Rotate the pumpkin during the day to expose all sides to the strongest sunlight. Sometimes, if the pumpkin is past a certain point in its development, it will eventually turn orange (within a few weeks).

Check out the tips below from Julie Chandler, a certified giant pumpkin grower.

Yes, you should remove any damaged leaves and/or flowers. Good luck with your pumpkins!

You can leave the pumpkins outside all day and night. Good luck with your harvest!

Yes, the pumpkin will continue to turn color after harvested as long as it has already started to turn color. (If green, they will not fully turn color off the vine.) In fact, many people harvest early to avoid pests and rot. You normally need 90 to 120 days to grow a pumpkin so that's not a lot of time!

Hmm. Pumpkins do not like cold weather, and it takes between about 90 to 125 days to grow them. So, you want to avoid planting too early, unless you start them indoors, and also avoid planting too late, where they can be nipped by fall frost. Since they require a long season, having them available in August would mean planting minis around mid-May or others around mid-April, which would usually suggest starting them indoors. It is possible, but likely farmers time it so that their crop will ripen around autumn for fall decorations and for Halloween festivities. If you grew your own, you could certainly time it for August, but it may be hard to find them available commercially in that month. Look south, in warmer areas with longer growing seasons -- perhaps try smaller farms that might specialize. Good luck!

No, it will kill the plant. Definitely want to cover them if you are expecting frost. Early frost last year killed my pumpkins. You could still harvest even if immature if frost gets them, but they won't turn orange and continue to grow after a frost.

Rent it.

From what we understand there are lots of young, aspiring people—men and women—who would like to farm. Or sell if off in smaller parcels, keeping something for yourselves, if you so desire.

That's a simple answer to a complicated question. You should contact local farmer's markets, coop ext (typically in university settings), agricultural schools even outside your area (which you have not defined) and talk to them. Talk to anybody and everybody you can.

This is not really our area of expertise, but we do know that the core mention above is true: Young people—and, hey, maybe some "old" people, too—are looking for affordable land to work.

And take some "payment" in produce! Don't make it just about the money.

Hi, Louise, We'll presume that you mean you buried your pumpkin seeds in the ground. And we're guessing that you want your garden to be a mix of the ornamental and edible, so popular today. There are considerations beyond nutrients; pumpkins tend to send out extensive vines and these might almost literally walk over other plants. For that reason, too, pumpkins usually need a good amount of space. You don't indicate what variety/type/size of pumpkins you're growing, so rather than answer simply yes or no, we suggest you cconsider the advice from these California sources:

• http://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/268-489.pdf, this is by a master gardener; don't be put off by te Halloween theme—lots of good info here

• Here's a good deal of info re nutrients, etc. Note that this refers to industrial/large farm (not home garden) growing but much of the basics apply to your situation, too: http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/pubs/brochures/Pumpkins/

After reading these pages consider that if your pumpkins are seedling size, you might be able to transplant them—to give them the proper soil requirements, space, and water. You could consider a large container or simply another area of your property.

Or, leave the pumpkins where they are and see what happens. Growing any plant is an experiment in nature.

All the best!

Roland, Thank you for your kind words. The Almanac Web site is a free companion to our publications which are only published in the U.S. and Canada. For better or worse, we are only experts in North American gardening. Though it's true that a Web site reaches many more people, and we leave it open and free for all, all of our planting dates, astronomical timetables, weather forecasts, and other tools are geared to our readership. That said, you'll still find a lot of content that is useful across this Web site, regardless of region. With all good wishes, the OFA editors

Yes, you can transplant the pumpkins to a bigger pot. Make sure to add some compost or aged manure to the fresh potting soil. Keep the soil moist and be on the lookout for the female flowers. If you have bees and other pollinators coming to the flowers you should be all set. Just be aware that the pumpkin vines will grow long and you may have to set up a trellis or some other support system for the pumpkins when they get bigger.

Pumpkins take about 3 to 4 months to mature (5 months for giant pumpkins), depending on the type, so yours is probably almost halfway through its cycle and, if all conditions were good, it would mature around end of February. In central Florida, though, it looks like your first frost is around late December into January. Pumpkins can withstand some frost, but not repeatedly. For light frosts, you can cover the plant with sheets or blankets overnight. Unfortunately, pumpkins do not like their roots disturbed and usually don't transplant well. It is especially hard on them at later stages, when they are flowering etc. It doesn't look like you have too many options: you can try to keep the pumpkin in the ground until it matures, giving it frost/cold protection when needed. Or, you can try to dig it up--including as many roots as you can and as much soil as you can, limiting the amount of pruning (which can stress it), and transplanting it to a container inside over winter. It likely will not survive until April, however, since the plants usually don't live that long. Good luck!

Hi, Mike: Thanks for the great question and special thanks for setting a good example by reading the page first. We pull them up, as they serve no real purpose. Of course, if they decomposed quickly, that would be another (organic) matter. But you can pull them up and put them whole into your brush pile, or chop them up and put them into your compost pile. In the latter instance, make sure that they aren't diseased or unhealthy-looking, in which case you would want to burn them, not compost them. Thanks again!

Leave the pumpkins on the vine as long as possible. Remove any large leaves that shade the pumpkins. Once there is a killing frost, however, the pumpkin will not ripen on the vine any further. If you have to pick pumpkins when they are still green, wash and wipe them with a mild bleach solution to prevent any mold. Place them in a sunny spot on a patio or deck or bring them indoors. If you store them indoors put them in a bright room with big windows. You can try the grow light but keep it high enough so it doesn't heat the pumpkins.

Karra, you do not say where you are, but in many parts of the country, pumpkin season is finished. Pumpkins typically have a long maturity period spanning the heart of the summer season—including and especially the days with the longest periods of sunlight. Your plant may be growing but it is probably not getting enough sunlight, even if it gets sunlight all day. Remember, it's October and the days are shorter now than they are in May, June (especially June), and July. It's also possible that your plant is getting excess nitrogen, which promotes leaf growth over fruit, but it is more likely that it's the lack of sun.

Next year, start your plant indoors some 4 to 6 weeks before your area's last average frost date. When all danger of frost has passed, transplant it outside so it can enjoy the long, hot, sunny days it needs to thrive and produce flowers and fruit.

You can leave them on the vine until a frost threatens.

You will see a bulb at the base of the flower that looks like a tiny watermelon on the female.

Female blossoms have a swollen area at the base that will turn into a pumpkin if pollinated. Cutting back your vines may have inspired a second set of fruit which could explain why some are smaller and late to ripen or weed competition could have hindered their growth. Since the average first frost date for the Twin Falls area is Oct 1-10, you have plenty of time for your pumpkins to color up some more. They can change from yellow to orange quite quickly at the end of the season. Be patient and pick them if frost threatens, otherwise leave them until the vines die back. Next year consider moving your pumkin patch to a sunnier location.

If the vines are dying it is time to pick your pumpkins. Handle them gently and follow the directions in this article about curing and storing and they should last well past Halloween.

Yellowing followed by death of the fruit MAY be caused by insect attack. cut open the fruitlet and you are likely to discover some worms inside. If this is the case, then know that the cause may be attack by fruit fly. To control : spray with an insecticide for fruit flies as per directions. Good luck!

• Pumpkins are very thirsty plants and need lots of water. Water one inch per week. Water deeply, especially during fruit set.
• When watering try to keep foliage and fruit dry. Dampness can cause rot. When the vines start drying up and turning brown you can cut back on the water.

I disconnected a vine from the main and discovered a green pumpkin. Will it get orange without being connected or should I toss it?

You might try handpicking, and then placing fine-mesh metal screening over your plants (such as window screening). Grasshoppers may eat through cloth, plastic screening, and row covers, so be sure to use metal. Sometimes it also helps to grow a trap crop of tall grass around the border of your garden--some grasshoppers may prefer that to your pumpkins. Hope this helps!

Many factors could be at work here. High temperatures - nights above 65 degrees and days in the nineties - will cause  blossoming issues.

Cut open a flower and look for black streaks. They are a sign of something called stigma death which means no pumpkins.

Soil moisture needs to be consistent - not too wet or too dry so mulch is important.

A pH imbalance can throw things off so test the soil.

An assault from insects can cause blossoms to fall off prematurely also.

Stress (including heat waves) may affect plant flowering and fruit set. Too much nitrogen can delay flowering. You might try adding a high-phosphorus fertilizer to increase bloom production. Some experts say that if plants are spaced too closely together, the competition between plants can reduce the number of female flowers. If this sounds like a possibility, try spacing your plants out a little further next growing season.

Since your pumpkin gets all its nutrients through that stem, it could mean this is as large as it is going to get. Growers of giant pumpkins are very careful to support their pumpkins as they grow to reduce the amount of stress on the stem. That said, even pumpkins with split stems can still continue to grow if the stem is still attached to the fruit. I'd adopt a wait and see approach. If after another week it hasn't grown any larger then you'll know it has reached its peak size.

You might be able to plant more pumpkins--it will depend on your area, your first expected fall frost, and the type of pumpkin you plant (days to maturity). You'll want to harvest before a hard frost--a light frost might damage the vines, but not the pumpkin. For a few frost dates in Georgia, see:

http://www.almanac.com/content/us-frost-chart

Or, contact your county's Cooperative Extension:

http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-serv...

Choose a variety that has a short growing season.

As for storing your pumpkin -- it might just make it to Halloween, depending on the variety and how well it has been stored. (See above article.) Leave plenty of stem on the pumpkin (3 to 4 inches), if you can, and avoid any damage (bruises or cuts) to the rind. Be sure to cure it for about a week, then store in a cool (50-55 F) and dry area so that it is not touching any other pumpkin or fruit/vegetable and is not in the vicinity of ripening apples etc. Make sure there is plenty of air circulation. Pumpkins may store for 2 to 3 months.

Ginny I also am a first time grower am on the east coast of Ireland and this summer has been pretty cool I wish I was at the stage you are at but I have just got my first flower it is going to be a challenge wish me luck as I do for yours

Here's a second reference guide on minimum soil temperatures for pumpkin seed germination: http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene61ea....">http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene61ea....

You may need to read up on pollinating them by hand especially if you don't have a lot of bees around. Also make sure you're not over or under watering!

Almost all squash varieties have male flowers bloom before female, so it may be a matter of time. Try adding a high-phosphorus ferilizer to increase bloom production. Some pros say that is plants are too close the competition between plants can reduce the number of female flowers; sound like you? (Powdery mildew can be a sign of overcrowding and poor circulation.) Hope this helps!

Hi, Bob, It depends on what your plants' growth habit it.

If the plants are vining type, thin to the best 2 or 3 plants.

If the plant is semi-bush varieties, thin to 2 plants per hill.

If the plant is a bush variety, thin to a single plant.

If the plant is a miniature variety, thin to the single best plant.

To thin, snip or cut off the stem at ground level, with scissors or a blade or the like.

You can certainly try to transplant a few of the seedlings, instead of thinning them. In so doing, disturb the remaining plant/s as little as possible and give it a little TLC when you've finished.

Most pumpkins are green when they start developing and growing. They turn orange when they are fully grown.

For Virginia, now is a perfect time to plant pumpkin seeds outdoors. Happy gardening!

It's hard to know without seeing the damage, and knowing what the size of the spots are. Whitish spots can mean anything from powdery mildew to damage from an insect that likes to suck the sap from the leaves, causing stippling (small spots over the surface of the leaves). Translucents spots might be heat damage or sunscald. Dark green mottled areas might suggest a virus. Bacterial leaf spot might also be a possibility.

For more information about pumpkin pests and diseases, check these sites; you might look through the photos of damage to see if any match what you see on your pumpkins. Good luck!

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/pumpkin.html

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/DiagnosticKeys...

bacterial leaf spot:

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/DiagnosticKeys...

You can pinch the stem between your thumb and index finger (if the stem is not thick) until it breaks off, or you can use pruning shears (recommended for thicker vines). Select an area along the stem that is just above a leaf node, which is where the leaves (and leaf stems) form on the vine. So, once you make your cut, you should have a leaf node remaining at the end of the vine.

This video shows using shears:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfHKaeUTOvQ

This image shows the main, secondary, and tertiary branches on a pumpkin vine:

http://i25.tinypic.com/2mz0gzq.jpg

The male flowers come first and will fall off. About 10 or so days later, the female flowers will show up. Then, the bees will pollinate.

There is a chance that the vine will recover, as long as the break doesn't block all of the vessels in the plant that allow transport of water and plant nutrients, and as long diseases and pests don't set in.

If the vine runs along the ground, as soon as you can, dig a depression underneath the broken area, wide enough to cover the break, and as far along the stem until just after the next leaf node (where the leaves emerge from the stem). Gently place the broken vine into the depression, making sure the broken stem fits as closely as possible to the original alignment. Cover the stem with soil--make sure the entire break is covered as well as one leaf node where leaves are emerging. Do not press the soil down. Water the area periodically. Roots may eventually emerge at the leaf node.

Good luck!

Hi Steve, You did the right thing. We plant multiple seeds because they do not always germinate. Once they do, select 2 of the healthiest and thin out the rest. I  know it's hard but you have to "kill" the seedlings so that the others can grow.  Pumpkins do not like to be moved or cultivated once planted so we would not advise digging them up.

Hi, Steven: You most certainly can grow pumpkins from latticework or a trellis. The challenge always remains to support the weight of the developing pumpkin if it starts to grow up in the air. If you can somehow identify which ones you don't want, you can just cut them off or pinch off blooms. We would just let everything grow and have some fun with it, seeing which blooms seem to be healthiest and then pinching off others to focus that plant's energy on the best fruit. Thanks for asking!

You'll get a pound of seed from twenty pumpkins. 

For plants that typically need a lot of space, such as melons and pumpkins, a dwarf variety should be selected.

To save pumpkin seeds, wait until the pumpkin matures and then wait another 3 weeks before picking off the vine. Then carve a hole in the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and attached stringy pulp. Separate the seeds from the pulp, wash the seeds to remove any remaining bits of pulp (some soak the seeds for 24 hours to help loosen the pulp before washing), and then let them air dry on paper towels or newspaper at room temperature for about a month. Then place them in an air-tight glass container, label and date, and store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 3 years. For best viability, use within 1 year.

Note that open-pollinated varieties of pumpkins/squashes may cross-pollinate--plants need to be isolated from each other by at least a 1/2 mile. If you got your pumpkin from the store or home garden, it may have cross-pollinated, so the seeds may yield a plant/fruit that is different from the parent. The same is true for hybrid varieties of pumpkins: they may not yield the same pumpkin as the parent.

thank you for this information on how to grow pumpkins,i scooped out the seeds from a supermarket pumpkin placed them on my kitchen window ledge with the meat of pumpkin still attached and they dried perfectly over a 2 month period, now looking forward to the warmer season in 2016 to plant my first ever batch :)

Good question, Vikas! It seems that the person to ask might be the "Pumpkinstein" developer. You've heard of those: the pumpkins that were grown in face-shaped molds and came out looking like Frankenstein? The fellow who did that spent several years and $400,000 growing as many as 27 varieties of pumpkin before he found one that worked to his satisfaction. And he is not telling what that one is.
(Google "pumpkinstein" for more information on this.)

Thanks for your question!

Hi! I'm glad you have success with growing pumpkins! I have many friends in Uganda - especially in and around Kampala, it turns out. I am not able to send them any funds as I'm not allowed. But I do give them advice now and then on things. And sometimes have sent seeds but cut down a lot on that as they often got stolen there. Where do you live? Debby, of Michigan, USA

Although any pumpkin should work fine for eating the seeds (called pepitas), you might try a naked-seeded variety, which originated in Austria. Search for terms such as hull-less seed pumpkins, naked-seed pumpkins, oil-seed pumpkins, or Styrian pumpkins. These have a very thin hull around the seed, and are bred specifically for eating the seeds (which can be green or other colors). Some of these pumpkin varieties have an orange rind while others are striped with green. A few varieties might be good for cooking or carving as well, while others offer the sole benefit of tasty seeds. Varieties include: Lady Godiva, Kakai, and Triple Treat. Snack Jack and Baby Bear are semi hull-less.

Hi, Bryan, It sounds like it's your male flowers that have dropped off. This is natural; these do not produce pumpkins. The male flowers come first and provide pollen for bees to polinate the female flowers. There is no swelling (future fruit) at the base of male flower stems. So just leave them alone; the are doing what nature intended. If/when the female flowers are pollinated, the flower/s will close and young fruit will begin to develop—and you will be able to see it.

However, if the female flower is not pollinated, it too will drop off and, of course, no fruit will be forthcoming. So that is also a possibility, sorry to say.

So, in short, don't plug anything or tape it. Just keep an eye on the plant and see what happens. (You do not say where you are, but almost everywhere it seems late in season for pumpkins to develop...)

Hope this helps!

Hi back!  For St. Louis and central area of the date, the best planting dates for pumpkins is June 10 to 15. 

It's best to leave the pumpkins on the vine as long as possible. Remove any large leaves that shade the pumpkins. If you pick them when they are still green, wash and wipe them with a mild bleach solution to prevent any mold. Place them in a sunny spot on a patio or deck or bring them indoors. If you store them indoors put them in a bright room with big windows. You can try the grow light but keep it high enough so it doesn't heat the pumpkins.

I would Leave them be, keep them dry and warm,so they can orange prior to picking them off the vine. Cover them every night as they are very sensitive to the cold...Mid September will be a good time to harvest them.

Congrats, Grantford.  Once your pumpkins are pollinated, it could take 50 to 90 days to harvest. It really depends on the pumpkin variety and conditions. Pumpkins need LOTS of sunlight and warmth to ripen and turn orange, so that is the biggest issue as the days get "shorter."  If you're reaching the end of the season, you can keep the pumpkin on the vine and remove all the leaves to help it turn orange. If the pumpkin is still green when the season is over, then take it off the vine, wash it, and place it on a sunny deck or patio--or, eventually, inside in a sunny place. Rotate the pumpkin so the green parts get sunlight. Good luck!

Hi Linda,

If your pumpkins are orange and the skin is hard they are mature and probably will not grow much bigger. When the vine closest to the ripe pumpkin turns brun and hard it's time to pick the pumpkin. Just make sure you harvest the pumpkins before there is a chance of frosty nights. See our harvest and storage advice on this page.

Pruning is recommended to keep the plant manageable. Pruning involves cutting off the secondary vines that grow off the main vine. You do not want to trim all the way back to the main stem. Towards the end of the season you can prune the main stem about 10 to 15 feet away from the last fruit on the plant, if it gets out of control.

Congrats!  Our only suggestion is patience. The males come onto the scene a week or two before the first females. Just be sure you have plenty of pollinators around to do their thing when the females arrive or you need to take a Q-tip and pollinate the flowers when they open in the morning.

It is normal to see a lot of male flowers first but just keep checking because somewhere there is a female flower that you have overlooked. I think that they are outnumbered 10-15 to one.

I have over 1/4 acre planted in pumpkins. They seemed to be growing fine. A little powdery mildew that I think is in check. Recently I noticed 1 plant that's leaves seem to be wilting. It has since died along with its fruit. Now I am seeing some early signs of the wilting on other plants. The leaves didn't seem to turn color first just drooped over and eventually died. Any ideas what this is or how to treat. Thanks Frank

If your plants look healthy you should have some female flowers soon. It is getting late in the season and I'm not sure that your pumpkins will have time to mature before Halloween. Did you check how many days to maturity on the seed package? Wish for some warm weather and cross your fingers!

Could be a number of things, from diseases, insects, or cultural problems (such as too much water). If the vines and leaves look OK (no wilting, spots, signs of mildew, chewed leaves, etc.), it might be cultural. Insects can introduce diseases to the fruit--are there any entrance holes that you can detect in the pumpkin? You probably haven't had night temperatures cool enough to cause tissue damage yet. Anyone else have advice?

If your pumpkin is uniformly orange and the rind is hard, you should harvest, we would harvest it. If you leave it in the field, it's more prone to disease and infection.

I have some white pumpkins, maybe over 50 pounds. How do I know when to pick them? I want to put them in the garage before the squash bugs work on them I also have some porcelain doll pumpkins which have turned pink.

It might recover, but it may now also be putting energy into producing more leaves, which make food for the plant. We'd suggest leaving any new growth (vines/leaves) that starts, but remove any new flowers/pumpkins. If it looks like the plant is weakening, remove one or two of the developing pumpkins, so that the plant won't spend energy on maturing more fruit than it can handle.

Leave them on the vines as long as possible. If your pumpkins are orange they are ripe but need just some time to cure.

Hi Kim,

See the "Care" section on this page for helpful information about growing the pumpkins. Just remember to water often as containers tend to dry up quickly in summer heat. Remove any covering when the flowers appear so that your pumpkins can be pollinated.

Hi Bea,  Either the seeds were a mixed bag of different types of squash or pumpkins do sometimes grow in many different shapes because of inconsistent weather, rainfall or watering. Perhaps it will be fun for the kids!

Hi, Cheyne, Pumpkin pruning involves cutting off the vines that grow off the main vine. You do not want to trim all the way back to the main stem. This should help the plant to develop fruit, too.

You can prune the main stem about 10 to 15 feet away from the last fruit on the plant, if it gets out of control.

By the way, too much nitrogen in the fertilizer (and soil) can lead to more foliage than fruit. Think of the three numbers that appear on fertilizer: the first is for nitrogen (it helps foliage), the next, P, is phosphorus (helps roots and fruit develop), the last, K, is for potassium/potash (good for the plant's overall health).

Perhaps a bit of phosphorus is needed. As you know, pumpkins need a long season to mature. If you get fruit, be prepared to protect it from frost, if necessary. Check your average fall frost date here: http://www.almanac.com/content/us-frost-chart.

Good luck!

we have alot of different size pumpkins that are ready.

We r in new glarus and have pumpkins growing next to our beautiful barn. Very picturesque. Would love to share it.

I have pumpkins growing in my garden and we already have ripened pumpkins! Orange and green! Very nice sized! As they grow, we put them to where they grow to be able to sit straight up! I can send pics if you would like?

Hi, Melina: Well, we're not disappointed in you -- at least you're trying to salvage the situation as well as the pumpkins! Not to worry! To ripen your cut pumpkins, first clean them thoroughly with water. Then keep them in a warm and sunny place with good air circulation, like on your deck or on a card table in your yard. You can also put them in a wheelbarrow or cart and wheel them around to catch sun. Keep them dry. Work to keep as much sun on them as possible, and be patient. Bring inside at night if it is warmer than outside. After you've used the pumpkins, save the seeds by cleaning and then drying them on a newspaper for a week. Then store in a jar in a cool, dry place until next spring. Use the Frost Dates Calculator under Gardening above to find out when your last frost usually is. Plant your seeds a week after. There! All better now!

Congrats. Your pumpkins are off to a good start.  Pumpkins, once they get going, can not be disturbed or cultivated. You can't move them. Once you dig them up, they are where they are.

It could be that the little pumpkins aborted because they were not adequately pollinated. Cool or rainy weather will slow pollinators (was it cool during the day, too?), which can lead to inadequately pollinated flowers, and small, sometimes misshapen fruit that might drop off before they mature. Some more flowers might develop, in which case, you might try hand pollinating them (transferring pollen from the male flower to the female flower, which has a tiny bulge at its base). Also check the health of the plant--stress, insects, disease, extreme temperatures, not enough nutrients, too much or too little water, etc may cause developing fruit to drop off. The plant should recover from a brief burst of cold in the 50s/60s. When it dips to 40s and 30s, it will affect the plant, slowing it down and stunting growth. When you expect cold weather overnight, provide row covers or blankets during the evening to help keep their environment a little warmer.

The short answer is: Don't fool with them! We really don't advise moving pumpkins at this late stage. Pumpkins do not like to be cultivated and are quite sensitive to any interaction. 

You've already got your pumpkins off to a good start by applying higher concentrations of Nitrogen (but not too much) in the early growth stage. Before starting fertilizer, I hope your soil was prepared with generous amounts of organic matter such as manure and compost as pumpkins are big feeders.

Switch to a formula higher in phosphorus when the flowers appear--and through the flowering and fruit stage--such as 5-10-5 or 5-15-5.

After fruit set, you can add more potassium for fruit growth. Either switch to a higher potassium formula or just supplement your 5-10-5 or 5-15-5 with extra potassium.

If the pumpkin is growing well leave it in the raised bed. We suggest that you move the hot pepper plant to a different location. The big pumpkin leaves would shade it too much.

I am also a novice at growing pumpkins but your comment was my first read as I also did the same thing as you and just tossed my pumpkin to the ground and now it's growing wild. Funny.

For best advice for your area, we'd recommend talking to your county's Cooperative Extension (http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-serv... or a garden nursery. To check planting times for your area, see:

www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/

In general, for Tennesse, you can plant Halloween pumpkins in mid-June through early July. The exact timing will depend on the variety of pumpkin that you choose: check the days to maturity and time the planting so that they mature a week or two before Halloween. There are many varieties from which to choose, from minis to giants, to carving pumpkins to pie pumpkins. For jack-o-lanterns, you might consider something like 'Camaro', 'First Harvest', 'Gold Medal', or 'Early King'.

Vine length will depend on the variety of pumpkin that you are growing. Some larger ones can grow more than 30 feet long. Leaf size sounds about right. When the pumpkin(s) are about grapefruit size, many gardeners prune the main vine so that it is about 10 to 15 feet beyond the last fruit that one wants to grow on it. They also trim secondary vines back to about 10 to 12 feet from the main vine. (Burying the trimmed ends may help to discourage disease and insects.) Pruning the vine ends allows the plant to focus its energy on forming the fruit rather than growing more vine, and also allows the plant to fit better in smaller gardens.

When we say 15 inches of manure, we meet that you need to dig that far into the ground to loosen all the soil and mix in the old manure to that depth, too. This includes the depth of the hill which should be the size of a small baseball mound.
In terms of the planting depth, it is only 1 inch deep when planted at the top of the hill.

Hi Christine,  Good fruit set is usually related to pollination. Are you seeing lots of bee activity? The bees transfer the pollen from the male flower to the female flower. Poor pollination causes blossom drop.
Also, fruit set happens during a 2 to 3 week stretch so rainy and wet weather during that time can slow insect activity.
It can also be hard for the bees to pollinate if the plants have too many leaves; be careful not to use too much nitrogen fertilizer with encourage too many leaves at expense of flowers.

It's not bad to start pumpkins indoors. In fact, they SHOULD be started indoors if your area has a short growing season. The timing, however, is very important. Start seeds indoors, up to two weeks prior to setting outdoors which is usually around mid-May, however, you need to find out the outdoor date in your area. See our planting chart here:

www.almanac.com/plantingtable

Wait until the weather has warmed up and plant your seeds in the buckets outdoors. Place the buckets in a spot that gets full sun and make sure the buckets have draining holes. Use a light fast-draining potting mix and fertilize about once a week when the plants start growing. Don't grow more than 1 or 2 plants in each bucket.

That's about right. You wouldn't want to seed pumpkins more than a few weeks before transplanting.
When you plant indoors to early, the plants get rootbound by the time you put them outdoors and won't transplant well.
In fact, pumpkins aren't great at transplanting in general; they prefer to be seeded in the ground, but the soil has to be quite warm so we understand why some people try to seed indoors.

Happy to try to help. When we talk about a "hill," you want to create a mound of warm, fertile soil that is at least a 3-foot diameter in size. Why a hill? Pumpkins must have very warm soil and the hill takes the soil off the ground.
The soil must also be very rich in organic matter but loose and well plowed, not compact.
In the fall, we would also add composted manure. Further, we like to cover the hills with black plastic to get the soil very warm, at least a week before planting. Make sure the soil is moist but not wet.
We would suggest you contact your New Mexico cooperative extension for more local advice. Here is a good fact page from NMSU: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H231/welcome.html

If kept in a cool and dry place, pumpkins can store for 2 to 3 months. The only way to know is to cut it open!

You can seed pumpkin inside in 2- to 3-inch pots. We're not sure what was used at school, but a good seed-staring mix should have plenty of nutrients. Provide water to the pumpkin every couple of days. Do not soak the soil each day. Let the soil dry out a little on the top first, then water thoroughly. The main issue is sunlight. Pumpkins need LOTS of direct sunlight to thrive. A sunny window may not be enough; in Canada, you may need grow lights.

Also, you have seeded too early. You need to seed indoors about 3 to 4 weeks before you would plant outside in the ground and you shouldn't plant pumpkin seedlings in the ground until 2 weeks after the last spring frost. For Canada, it depends where you live, but the last frost might be around late May/early June.

You could either plant the seedlings with a protective cover or you could just keep the bottom of the tray moist, or put some extra soil in the bottom of the tray, or transplant to a larger pot until it's time to go outside!

Hope this helps, the OFA editors

Pumpkin seeds won't germinate below 60°F so delay planting until after the date of the last spring frost.

You can maybe start in a sunny season like May or April. Try it.

How interesting! We don't know which variety you might like best, but suggest that any variety here will do as long as you use leaves that are young, soft, and tender. As we do not have ethnic markets which carry pumpkin leaves, you might need to find a willing gardener who isn't obsessed about growing the largest pumpkin as the leaves are important to their growth.

I would like to know how you eat or cook pumpkin leaves it sounds interesting. I have plants with many leaves and flowers but not many pumpkins. Thanks

After all danger of frost is past plant pumpkin seeds about 1 / 2 to 1 inch deep in groups of 3-5 plants. These vegetables are not fond of cool soil so don't plant too early in Central Texas. May to early June is about ideal and n o later than late June. Many types can take over 100 days to mature fruit.
Our gardening blogger, Doreen, actually lived in Texas for many years; she now lives in the Midwest but her blog tends to be relevant for North America and does not get too specific about one state or another. If you ever have questions for her, I'm sure she'd be happy to answer and she has that Texas perspective. Her blog is here: http://www.almanac.com/gardening/blog

We'd go for it. Clean and dry the seeds and see if they're good. After all, pumpkins reseed themselves from season to season, surviving the winter!

We understand your challenge but the soil and air needs to be warm for growth to begin. Plant your pumpkin seeds after the danger of frost has passed in early spring and the soil is thoroughly warm. You'll need about three to four months of warm growing days with daytime temperatures above 75 degrees. One idea: You can plant your seeds at the end of the school year (May/June) and then harvest pumpkins at the beginning of the next school year.

You simply dry out the cleaned seeds on wax paper for a couple days, then let them sit on a tray in a cool dark place for a few weeks and then store in an envelope until time to plant! Select the largest seeds and throw out any moldy ones.

Plant the seeds in the spring. It's too cold to grow pumpkins this time of year in Ct. Plant the seeds in the ground when the soil has warmed up.

Your seeds should be OK to plant next spring. Read the advice on this page about planting and caring for your pumpkin plants.

You are the reason for the worldwide shortage of periods. One per sentence is all that's required. Please use them responsibly. Although it may be true that pumpkins are a fruit, how that makes any difference in growing them is beyond me. Call them fish for all I care, they'll still grow as long as you follow the advice given above.

Hello,

If the vines are soft and mushy close to the pumpkins it's better to harvest the fruit now and put them in a nice warm, sunny spot outdoors. Remove all the vines and debris from your garden and put them in your compost pile. If the vines look like they have a disease destroy them and don't compost.

Yes, covering your pumpkins is a good way to protect from frost. However, if a hard freeze is coming, you really need to take them in. The vines will die and the pumpkin may go soft.