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Vegetable
Pumpkin
Cucurbita maxima / C. moschata
A sprawling summer vine sown in late spring once soil is warm, for pumpkins to harvest and store from autumn. Give it room (or a sturdy trellis for small types) and a mound of compost to grow from. Harvest only when the stem has dried and the skin is hard, then cure in the sun to store for months.
- SunFull sun
- Spacing150 cm apart
- First pick16–20 weeks
- FrostFrost tender
- HeatHandles heat well
- Sow depth25 mm
When to plant where you live
Checking your area…
Add pumpkin to my gardenVarieties (4)
- ButternutReliable, compact fruit with sweet flesh; stores well; suits most gardens
- Golden NuggetBush habit with small fruit; fits small beds and pots
- Jap (Kent)Sweet, dry flesh; quicker to mature; good roasting pumpkin
- Queensland BlueClassic large blue-grey pumpkin; excellent keeper; needs space and a long season
Neighbours
Grows well with
Keep away from
From seed to plate
Plant
150 cm apart, seed 25 mm deep. Full sun.
Water
Deep watering while vines grow.
Feed
Plant on a mound of compost.
Pick, from about 16 weeks
Harvest when the stem is dry and skin is hard.
Good to know
- Pinch out the vine tips once a few fruit have set to focus energy on them
- Leave 5 to 10 cm of stem when cutting; cure in the sun for 1 to 2 weeks before storing
- Mulch thickly so the vines run over clean, moist ground
Common problems
- Powdery mildewwater at the base, space for airflow; remove badly affected leaves; milk spray or a registered product following label directions
- Fruit rots or drops when smallusually poor pollination; plant flowers for bees or hand pollinate in the morning
- Pumpkin beetlehand pick in the cool morning; cover seedlings with mesh until flowering
- Fruit rotting on the groundsit fruit on a tile or straw
If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.
Guides
Where this information comes from
- Australian seed company regional sowing charts (temperate zone) (germination, low confidence)
- Alberta Agriculture: Soil temperature and field vegetable germination (FAQ) (germination, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- ABC Gardening Australia fact sheets (growing, medium confidence)
- Gardenate: Growing Pumpkin (comparison only) (growing comparison, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Sustainable Gardening Australia: planting guides (sowing window, medium confidence)
- Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL): poisoning cases from bitter zucchini (toxicity, high confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.