Growing Pumpkin

Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                  P P P

(Best months for growing Pumpkin in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 68°F and 90°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 35 - 47 inches apart
  • Harvest in 15-20 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweet Corn
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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23 Jul 19, (Australia - tropical climate)
Plant April to July.
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03 Jul 19, Trevor Worth (Australia - temperate climate)
Can a Butternut Pumpkin be grown from a top only, and what would be the best method? I'd love to try it if there's a chance it may work. Thank you kindly.
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04 Jul 19, (Australia - temperate climate)
I don't see it working. Stick some skewers in it and hang it in water.
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02 Jun 19, Sue (Australia - arid climate)
Surprisingly I have pumpkin seeds growing in the shadehouse ??? Is there anyway i can encourage their growth or are they doomed
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27 Apr 19, Lindsey (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I would like to grow some pepitas or other breed of squash that has an edible seed. Can you reccomend a type and tell me where i can buy seed, cheers Lindsey
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22 Jul 19, Walter fargo (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Hi Lindsy. Try Kings seeds, they have two types of oil seed pumpkin (that is the type you want). Austrian Oil Seed Pumpkin and Pumpkin Lady Godiva. Be careful with the water when sowing the seed, as they have no husk they can rot if the soil is too wet.
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26 Apr 19, skyler (USA - Zone 7b climate)
What time of year is it best to grow pumpkins at ?
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28 Apr 19, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Have a look at this page https://www.gardenate.com/plant/Pumpkin
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17 Apr 19, Virginie (Australia - temperate climate)
I have grown my first pumpkins this year, and they hung on the vine. Amazing, 3.8kg hanging! Now, my question is: if I store them outside, will the possum eat them? Thank you in advance
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17 May 19, Vic (Australia - temperate climate)
Possums ate mine - so did the rats! So you need to store them where these sharp-toothed creatures cannot reach them.
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Showing 211 - 220 of 835 comments
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Geraldine, each pumpkin plant should produce both male and female flowers. The earliest flowers that emerge will be male and all up there will be more of them produced in total than female. You may or may not have to encourage pollination. If you have bees hanging around they'll do it for you. Consider making your vegie patch more enticing to bees by companion planting some bright flowers (like calendula, nasturtiums, french marigolds, sunflowers, etc) to attract them. Anyway, the way to tell the difference between male and female flowers (in case you didn't already know) is that female flowers will generally have a bulbous base near the stalk, below the flower. Also, since they take up a lot of room, have you considered training the pumpkin vine along a fence or up the side of a garden shed? A workmate of mine had them fruiting up on his shed roof last summer.

- Jaci

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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