How to Plant Pumpkin Seeds for a Successful Fall Harvest (2025)

Sure, you can pick up a pumpkin at the store next fall. But there’s a lot more satisfaction in raising your own. Choosing a variety to grow is half the fun. Plus, pumpkins are simple to sprout, so they're a beginner-friendly plant to start from seeds. Here’s what you need to know about when and how to plant pumpkin seeds for your very own successful and productive patch.

How to Start Seeds Indoors

Pumpkins can take 90-125 days to mature, so it may pay to start seeds indoors in cold climates where summers are short. Sow seeds in containers filled with potting mix three to four weeks before your region’s last frost date. Peat pots and peat pellets are best because they can later be planted intact without disturbing sensitive roots. Sow three to four seeds per pot, then thin to the two sturdiest seedlings once they have developed one to two sets of real leaves.

How to Start Pumpkin Seeds Outdoors

Sow in late spring when the soil temperature has reached 60°F and the danger of frost has passed. Form small mounds, sowing two to three seeds about 1 inch deep in each mound. Thin out seedlings once they have developed their second set of true leaves. Allow the strongest, most vigorous growers to remain, leaving two plants per mound for vining pumpkins, one plant per mound for miniature and bush-type pumpkins.

Ideal Growing Conditions

Choose a sunny spot with well-drained, neutral-pH soil, avoiding low spots that collect excess moisture. If pumpkins (or relatives such as squash, cucumbers, or melons) have grown in the same spot within the last couple of years, find a different location to lessen the chance of a shared disease affecting the crop.

Pumpkins have high nutrient requirements and love soil with lots of organic matter, so for best results, amend the soil. Dig a 1 x 1-foot hole and fill it with well-rotted manure or compost, then cover it with a 6-inch-high mound of excavated soil that has been amended with compost. The mound ensures good drainage and serves as a base when sowing multiple seeds.

How to Space Plants

Consult the seed packet label for specific recommendations. In general, bush-type pumpkins are spaced 2-3 feet from each other in rows 5-6 feet apart; semi-vine types 2-4 feet from each other in rows 6-8 feet apart; and vining types 4 to 5 feet from each other in rows 8-10 feet apart. If you’re only growing a few pumpkin plants, you can let them trail at the base of raised beds or upright-growing plants they won’t compete with.

How to Care for Pumpkin Seedlings

Mulch with compost to conserve soil moisture. Protect tender seedlings if nighttime temperatures dip below 40°F. You can use a glass bell cloche or a 1-gallon plastic milk jug with the bottom removed and stake in place. Remove the protection during the day so that it doesn’t overheat with its greenhouse effect.

Planting Pumpkins in Pots

You can grow pumpkins from seed in a pot. Choose a miniature variety that matures at 1-2 pounds. Mini pumpkin varieties include ‘Baby Bear’, ‘Baby Boo’, ‘Jill-Be-Little’, ‘Munchkin’, and ‘Pipsqueak’. Use a large pot, 15-inch-diameter or bigger, filled with a rich potting mix amended with compost. Grow one pumpkin plant per pot, allowing vines to spread out, trail down the sides, and grow along the ground.