Jack Be LittleC. pepo
Miniature · 8 oz · 6–7 per plant · Flat, ribbed, 3 in across
Pumpkin Growth Stages Chart
Ten stages from a seed in warm soil to a cured pumpkin, with the days each one takes, what the plant needs and what can go wrong. Work out your sowing date, compare 17 varieties and learn to tell male flowers from female ones.
1.The ten stages, day by day
A carving pumpkin sown in warm soil takes about 100–125 days from seed to harvest. Move the slider through the season, or pick a stage, to see the plant, what is happening and what it needs. Days for vining and flowering are approximate, counted back from the 45–55 days a fruit takes to ripen after its flower opens.
0
1. Sowing
Day 0
- What happens
- Seed goes in 1 in deep, 4–5 seeds to a hill, after the last frost.
- Care
- Wait for soil of at least 60°F; 70°F or warmer is faster and safer.
- Watch for
- Seed rot and seedcorn maggot in cold, wet soil.
Figure 3. Typical timing in days from sowing. A faster or slower variety moves the flowering and fruit stages earlier or later.
2.Planting dates worked back from harvest
Pick a variety and the date you want ripe pumpkins. The calculator counts back by the variety’s days to maturity and lays out the stages in between. Transplants save about 14 days in the garden. Pumpkins sown too early can soften and rot before Halloween, so aim for fruit that is ripe in late September or early October.
How you start them
| Sow in the garden | Jun 18 | 1 in deep, 4–5 seeds per hill, soil 60°F or warmer |
|---|---|---|
| Seedlings appear | Jun 25 to Jun 28 | about 7–10 days; thin to 2–3 plants once true leaves show |
| Vines start to run | Jul 15 to Jul 29 | side-dress the rest of the nitrogen (approximate) |
| First male flowers | Jul 31 to Aug 10 | approximate; no fruit yet is normal |
| Female flowers to pollinate | Aug 7 to Aug 17 | about a week after the males; each opens one morning |
| Fruit ripe | Oct 1, 2026 | 105 days from sowing |
| Cure | Oct 1 to Oct 11 | 80–85°F, about 80% humidity, about 10 days |
| Use or carve by | Dec 10 to Jan 9 | 2–3 months in storage at 50–55°F |
Add your average last spring frost date to check the sowing date against it.
3.Days to maturity by variety
Days to maturity run from direct sowing to a ripe fruit. Miniatures and a few early carving pumpkins are ready in about 90 days; giants need 120 or more. Catalogues and extension tables can differ by 5–20 days for the same variety, and ranges show that spread.
Baby BooC. pepo
Miniature · 4–6 oz · White; turns pale yellow when fully ripe
Wee-B-LittleC. pepo
Miniature · 10–14 oz · Round mini on a semi-bush plant
Baby PamC. pepo
Pie · 2–4 lb · Small pie pumpkin, 10–12 ft vines
Small SugarC. pepo
Pie · 5–6 lb · The standard pie type (New England Pie)
New England PieC. pepo
Pie · 4–6 lb · Dry, sweet flesh for baking
Winter LuxuryC. pepo
Pie · 6–9 lb · Netted, pale orange skin
Autumn GoldC. pepo
Carving · 7–10 lb · 3–5 per plant · Turns gold early, while still young
HowdenC. pepo
Carving · 18–26 lb · The classic jack-o'-lantern field type
Connecticut FieldC. pepo
Carving · 20–25 lb · Old field pumpkin, 12–20 in across
Big MaxC. maxima
Giant · 50–100 lb · 1–2 per plant · Up to 70 in around
PrizewinnerC. maxima
Giant · 75–300 lb · 1 per plant · Hybrid show pumpkin
Atlantic GiantC. maxima
Giant · 50–300+ lb · 1 per plant · Parent of most record giants
LuminaC. maxima
Specialty · 10–12 lb · White rind, orange flesh
JarrahdaleC. maxima
Specialty · 12–18 lb · Blue-grey, deeply ribbed
Long Island CheeseC. moschata
Specialty · 6–10 lb · Tan, flat, like a cheese wheel
Rouge Vif d'EtampesC. maxima
Specialty · about 30 lb · The 'Cinderella' pumpkin
Figure 4. Bars run from 70 to 130 days. Pale ends show where sources disagree. Fruits per plant: about 6–7 for Jack Be Little, 3–5 for Autumn Gold and one for a giant.
4.Male and female flowers
Every pumpkin vine carries both kinds of flower. The males open first, about a week before any females, so the first flush of blossoms sets no fruit. That is normal.
Male flower
- Long, thin stalk
- Pollen-covered anthers in the centre
- Opens first, about a week before the females
- About 20 males for every female (Connecticut Field)
Female flower
- Short, thick stalk
- A small ribbed baby fruit (the ovary) under the petals
- Sticky, lobed stigma in the centre
- Grows into a pumpkin only if pollinated
Figure 5. The quickest check is underneath the petals: only a female has the baby fruit.
Hand pollinating, step by step
- Go out early in the morning, while the flowers are open.
- Pick a fresh male flower and pull off its petals to bare the anthers.
- Brush the pollen over every lobe of the female's stigma, or use a small paintbrush.
- Do it the morning the female opens; she will not reopen. Unpollinated baby fruit shrivels and drops.
Each flower opens for one morning only, from about dawn to midday, earlier on hot days.
Full fruit set needs about 1,250–2,000 pollen grains on the stigma: roughly 8–16 bee visits.
Squash bees, bumble bees and honey bees all pollinate pumpkins: a bumble bee needs about 8 visits per flower, honey bees and squash bees about 16 (Penn State).
5.Planting, water and feeding
Pumpkins are very tender: sow only after the last frost, into soil that has warmed to at least 60°F. Check a soil reading below, then use the spacing, water and feeding figures for the rest of the season.
Is the soil warm enough?
Warm enough, but slowSeed will come up, slowly. Several sources prefer 70°F or warmer for a quick, even stand.
Measure at seed depth in the morning. Oregon State’s germination figures: minimum 60°F, best 70–90°F, fastest near 95°F, maximum 100°F.
| Soil temperature | at least 60°F; 70–90°F is best |
|---|---|
| Seed depth | 1 in |
| Seeds per hill | 4–5, thinned to the best 2–3 |
| Vining types | hills 5–6 ft apart, rows 10–15 ft; 50–100 sq ft per hill |
| Semi-bush types | hills 4 ft apart, rows 8 ft |
| Miniatures | 2–3 seeds every 2 ft, rows 6–8 ft |
| Bush types | 1 plant every 3 ft, rows 4–6 ft |
| Giants | about 150 sq ft per plant |
| Soil pH | 6.0–6.8 |
| Days to sprout | 7–10 |
| Transplants | Start 3–4 weeks before planting out; set out with 3–4 true leaves and harden off 4–7 days. |
| Stage | Give | How often | About a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowing to vine run | ½ in | when the top 6 in is dry, about every 5–6 days | 0.6 in |
| Vining to first bloom | ¾ in | every 5 days | 1.1 in |
| First bloom to harvest | 1 in | every 4 days | 1.8 in |
University of Georgia schedule for dry weather; rain counts. As a rule about 1 in a week, rising to 2 in a week in the 30 days before harvest (Mississippi State). Water the soil, not the crown, and cut back as fruit ripens.
Feeding
- Before plantingHalf the nitrogen and all the phosphorus and potassium, e.g. 1–2 lb of 10-10-10 per 100 sq ft, worked in.
- At vine runThe rest of the nitrogen as a side-dressing, about 6 in from the plants (1–2 Tbsp of 21-0-0 per plant).
- Flowering onwardHold back nitrogen: too much delays fruiting and raises fruit rot and leaf disease.
Mulch. Black plastic warms the soil and cuts fruit rot; lay straw or other organic mulch only after the soil reaches 75°F.
6.Problems at each stage
Most pumpkin troubles arrive at a predictable point in the season. Pick the stage your plants are at, or what you are seeing, to narrow the list.
Stage
What you see
9 of 9 problems across the season.
Seedcorn maggot and seed rot
What you see: Seeds rot or are eaten in the ground; gaps in the row.
What to do: Sow into warm soil, about 70°F; replant gaps.
Purdue Vegetable Crops Hotline; Illinois Extension
Cucumber beetles and bacterial wilt
What you see: Small yellow beetles, striped or spotted; whole vines wilt suddenly and die.
What to do: Row covers until bloom; control beetles while plants are small.
University of Maryland Extension; Iowa State Extension
Squash vine borer
What you see: A vine wilts at midday; holes near the base ooze sawdust-like frass.
What to do: Cover young vines; trap the moths from late May; rotate; till in old vines.
Cornell IPM fact sheet; Wisconsin A3688
Squash bug
What you see: Grey-brown bugs and bronze egg clusters under leaves; leaves speckle, yellow and brown; fruit scarred.
What to do: Crush egg clusters; trap under boards; hand-pick young nymphs.
Utah State Extension
Poor fruit set
What you see: Flowers but no fruit, or baby fruit that yellows and drops.
What to do: Wait for female flowers; protect bees; hand pollinate; go easy on nitrogen.
UMN Extension; Nebraska G1754
Powdery mildew
What you see: White powdery spots on older, shaded leaves that spread and kill them early.
What to do: Grow mildew-resistant (PMR) varieties; fungicides for heavy outbreaks.
Illinois Extension; University of Arkansas
Downy mildew
What you see: Angular yellow spots turning brown, grey spores beneath; cool, wet weather.
What to do: Scout often in damp spells; protective fungicides.
University of Arkansas; University of Georgia
Blossom-end rot
What you see: A water-soaked tan spot at the flower end turns dark and leathery.
What to do: Even moisture and mulch; moderate nitrogen; lime if calcium is low.
PNW Plant Disease Handbook
Sunscald and fruit rot
What you see: Bleached or reddish patches on exposed fruit; soft rot on wet ground.
What to do: Keep leaves healthy to shade fruit; plastic mulch; rotate 3 years.
University of Maryland Extension; Clemson HGIC; Mississippi State
7.Ripeness, curing and storage
A pumpkin is ready when its colour is deep and even and the rind is too hard to dent with a fingernail. Tick what you can see on yours.
Not yetLeave it on the vine. It needs a deep, even colour and a rind too hard to dent.
Not yet
Ripe
| Temperature | Humidity | How long | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cure | 80–85°F | about 80% | about 10 days |
| Store | 50–55°F | 50–70% | 2–3 months; chilling injury below 45°F |
At harvest
- Cut with pruners, leaving a 3–4 in stem handle.
- Never carry a pumpkin by its stem; stemless fruit keeps poorly.
- Wear gloves: stems and vines are prickly.
8.Giant pumpkins
Show giants are almost all selections of Atlantic Giant. They take 115–125 days, need about 150 sq ft per plant and carry a single fruit.
| Year | Grower | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ian and Stuart Paton | 2,819.3 lb (1,278.8 kg) |
| 2023 | Travis Gienger | 2,749.0 lb (1,246.9 kg) |
| 2021 | Stefano Cutrupi | 2,702.9 lb (1,226.0 kg) |
| 2016 | Mathias Willemijns | 2,624.6 lb (1,190.5 kg) |
- The record, 2,819.3 lb, was set by Ian and Stuart Paton, UK at Wargrave, Berkshire in October 2025.
- Peak gain: up to about 50 lb a day at peak.
- One fruit per vine: pick off the other female flowers once the best fruit sets.
- About 150 sq ft per plant.
- Atlantic Giant takes 115–125 days; show growers sow about 120 days before the weigh-off.
Sources and notes
Stage days are typical for a carving pumpkin sown in warm soil; emergence (7–10 days) and fruit ripening (45–55 days after flowering) come from extension services, and the vining and first-flower days are approximate, counted back from them. Variety figures are from seed catalogues and extension tables. Records are as confirmed by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth and Guinness World Records at the time of writing.
- University of Illinois Extension: Growing Pumpkins; Pumpkin Varieties
- Utah State University Extension: How to Grow Pumpkins in Your Garden; Squash Bug; Harvest and Handling
- Mississippi State University Extension P2905: Growing Pumpkins for the Home Garden
- University of Georgia Extension B1180: Commercial Production and Management of Pumpkins and Gourds
- Iowa State University Extension: All about Pumpkins; storage and harvest FAQs; Cucurbit Bacterial Wilt
- University of Maryland Extension: Growing Pumpkins in a Home Garden; Cucumber Beetles; Maintain Pumpkin Foliage
- Oregon State University Extension: soil temperature for seed germination (Harrington data); harvesting and storing pumpkins
- Penn State Extension: Pumpkin Production; Pollination Services in Cucurbits
- Clemson HGIC 1318: Pumpkins and Winter Squash
- Cornell CALS IPM: Squash Vine Borer fact sheet; University of Wisconsin A3688
- UMN Extension IPM blog: limited fruit set and fruit abortion; Nebraska Extension G1754; Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station; NC State Extension: Squash Bees
- S. Chan, The Pollination System of Pumpkin and Squash (Michigan State University, hosted); West Virginia University Extension: Be a Pollinator
- University of Arkansas: Disease Management in Pumpkins; Purdue Vegetable Crops Hotline; PNW Plant Disease Handbook
- Variety days and weights: Johnny's Selected Seeds, Burpee and Harris Seeds catalogue pages
- Giant pumpkins: Great Pumpkin Commonwealth and Guinness World Records; NC State CALS: The Anatomy of a Giant Pumpkin