7 Must-Know Tips for Growing Pumpkins in Your Backyard (2024)

Sure, you could head to the nearest pumpkin farm when fall rolls around, but there's something deliciously rewarding about growing pumpkins in small spaces or large backyards. These exuberant, sprawling plants and their large, colorful fruits are easy to grow and they're always a favorite with children. These tips will help you grow perfect pumpkins, whether you have a large garden or you're growing pumpkins in a small urban yard.

1. Choose Pumpkins Wisely

Pumpkins come in many different types with interesting colors, shapes, and even textures. The plants are also quite different from each other, depending on variety, so it's important to select the right one for your climate and available space, advises Darrell Geissler, who grows thousands of heirloom and hybrid pumpkins on his farm in Iowa. For example, in short-season areas in northern regions, it's best to grow quicker-maturing varieties or start them early indoors.

Some larger varieties, such as 'Jack-o-Lantern'', grow vines as long as 17 feet and they need plenty of room to ramble, so they may not be well-suited for growing pumpkins in small spaces. Smaller bush or semi-bush types grow vines about 5-10 feet long, which are better for more modest-size gardens. And while all pumpkins are edible, some taste far better than others. To grow pumpkins for Thanksgiving pie or desserts, select varieties such as 'Sugar Pie' with a sweeter flavor and smoother texture.

2. Pay Attention to Harvest Times

Seed packets of pumpkin varieties will list the days to maturity, which means the number of days you can expect it to take for the plant to go from seed to harvest. Then, do the math to figure out when you need to start your plants from seed to have the required number of days free of frost. For most regions, if you wanted to grow a variety that takes 100 days to mature, for example, starting those seeds between May and June would do the trick.

3. Give Pumpkins Enough Sun and Space

Pumpkins love spending their days in the warm sun, so plant them in a spot that sees sun all day. If you're growing pumpkins in small spaces and your only option doesn't offer all-day sun, somewhere that gets at least 6 hours of direct sun a day is suitable. Make sure you have anywhere from 5 to 20 square feet (depending on variety) to allow the plants to vine out. For smaller types, training them onto a trellis is possible, which helps maximize your growing space.

4. Set Seedlings Up for Success

Wait to plant until the daytime temperatures in your area reach the 70s and the nights are frost-free before planting pumpkins. You'll also want to add generous amounts of compost or well-rotted manure to the planting area and dig it into the soil. This helps loosen the soil, so pumpkin roots will have an easier time getting established. Compost also helps your soil retain moisture and boosts nutrient levels, two things pumpkins need in ample amounts.

Once you're ready to plant, create a pumpkin hill (a low mound of soil) and sow three to five seeds in it, evenly spaced from each other. The seeds will germinate in about a week. When they reach about 4 inches tall, snip off all but the most robust couple of seedlings on each hill. In cold climates (Hardiness Zones 2-5), give plants a head start by sowing seeds in peat pots indoors and transplanting the seedlings into the garden in early summer. Using peat pots that can go directly into your planting bed is recommended because pumpkins have tender roots that can be easily damaged when transplanted.

5. Keep Plants Well-Watered and Fed

Giving pumpkins sufficient water and fertilizer is key to grow nice, large pumpkins.

Watering

Pumpkins are made of up to 90 percent water, so give your vines plenty of moisture, especially during hot summer weather. Geissler recommends not watering right at the base of the plant, which may lead to stem rot if you overwater, and that will kill your pumpkins. Instead, direct water in a 2-foot circle around the plant, and the roots will find their way to it, he says.

Also, avoid getting water on the leaves to help keep powdery mildew at bay. This fungus not only damages leaves, but it can also get into the fruit and ruin it. If you want to grow pumpkins long-term, a drip irrigation system might be a good investment to help avoid diseases.

Fertilizer

Pumpkins are "heavy feeders," meaning they need lots of nutrients to fuel all their growth and the development of their large fruits. In addition to adding compost before planting, use it as a mulch around your plants once they grow. Most varieties will do just fine with this treatment, but to ensure the largest pumpkins, water with a liquid vegetable fertilizer once a week.

6. Control Pumpkin Pests and Diseases

Pumpkins need pollinators to set fruit, so let bees do their work and don't use insecticides. Pick off squash bugs (they look like stinkbugs) and their golden-orange eggs, which may appear on the undersides of leaves.

To prevent powdery mildew, plant varieties that are resistant to the fungal diseases. There are also several other preventative measures you can take. Once the disease hits, treating it as soon you notice it is crucial, as it spreads fast.

7. Treat Pumpkins Carefully at Harvest Time

As vines start dying back toward the end of summer, pumpkins are ready to pick when their skin colors fully develop and the stem is a deep green. The skin also becomes leathery. If you poke it with your fingernail, it will spring right back, says Geissler.

To help a harvested pumpkin last longer, Geissler recommends not cutting it off the plant at the stem. Instead, he cuts the vine on either side of the stem with a clean knife or pruning shears. Those cuts heal over better, which helps the fruit hold in moisture and keep out fungi and bacteria that will rot it. Pumpkins with their stems attached tend to last longer than those without, so be careful not to break them off (always lift them from the bottom).

Geissler also washes the outside of his pumpkins with a 1-2% solution of bleach and water (add one or two parts bleach to eight or nine parts water) to stave off rot. He advises rinsing them off and setting your clean and dry pumpkins in your garage or basem*nt until you want to use them. He's had pumpkins last over a year when properly harvested and kept in a cool, dry place.