When to plant pumpkin seeds in Virginia

Do you want to grow pumpkins in Virginia, but don’t know when to plant them?

Planting pumpkins is not as easy as it seems.

Here’s why:

• Pumpkins are not able to survive frost or cold weather under 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

So if you plant them outside too early in the spring they will die. And if you plant them too late, your pumpkins won’t produce a harvest before the first frost arrives in the fall.

Today, I’m going to teach you the ideal time to plant pumpkins in Virginia:

• To Learn More About HOW to Grow Pumpkins, Check Out This GUIDE!

As you may have already guessed, you need to pay very close attention to your local weather in the spring. Specifically, you are going to need to watch when the last frost occurs.

In general, when there hasn’t been a frost for two weeks, you are SAFE to plant your pumpkins outside in Virginia!

For your reference, I have created this table for average frost dates for most major cities in Virginia. If your city is not listed below you can find its Last & First Frost Dates HERE.

Virginia Last & First Frost Dates

Unfortunately, Mother Nature plays cruel tricks on us every year.

It should be noted that the above dates are just averages.

There are years when the last frost comes MUCH later. Sometimes, the last frost happens much earlier and you can get your pumpkins planted outside in Virginia much quicker.

Like I said before, you need to be very diligent in checking your local weather.

So what happens if a frost comes AFTER you plant your pumpkins?

When you know a frost is coming you need to take action.

• If pumpkins are in pots, bring them inside
• If pumpkins are in the ground, cover them in burlap and hope they survive

Also, make sure not to plant your pumpkins in your garden too late.

• Planting pumpkins too late will cause small pumpkins or even worse, no pumpkins.

When Should You Start Your Pumpkins Seeds Indoors?

Depending on the type of pumpkins, it takes roughly 15-20 days to grow pumpkins from seed indoors and then transplant them to your garden.

For a specific date that you should start pumpkins seeds indoors you should:

• Find the last average frost date HERE
• And then subtract 20 days from it

Not only this, but I recommend again paying close attention to your local weather report.

It should also be noted that the best technique for bringing your pumpkins plants outside is to introduce them (in their pots) outside for an hour. And then increase the amount of time they spend outside each day by an hour until they have been outside for 8 hours.

This will “hardened” your pumpkins plant, increasing its chances of fighting off diseases, insects, droughts, and wet conditions.

If you want to learn WHEN to plant ANY Vegetable in Virginia, head over to HERE and just type in the vegetable you want to grow.

Botanical Name

Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata, C. argyrosperma

Whether you use them for carving or cooking, pumpkins do not disappoint—if you have the space for them. Learn how to harvest, cure, and store this nutritious, delicious American native!

About Pumpkins

Did you know pumpkins have been grown in North America for almost 5,000 years? It’s a lot of fun to grow this native plant.

There are two requirements for growing this winter squash: 1) Having the space to grow them (ideally 1,000 square feet per plant) and 2) having a long growing season (generally 75 to 100 frost-free days). Growers in northern locations need to plant by late May; in southern states, plant by early July. 

Pumpkins do require a lot of nourishment. That said, pumpkins are easy to maintain.

Of autumn’s wine, now drink your fill;
The frost’s on the pumpkin, and snow’s on the hill.
–The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1993

Planting

Pick a spot in full sun with space for sprawling vines to run: 50 to 10 square feet per plant. If space is limited, plant at the edge of the garden and direct vine growth across the lawn or paths. Vines will be bothersome for only a few weeks. In a very limited space, grow pumpkins in 10-, 12-, and 15-gallon buckets (depending on variety) or try miniature varieties. Pumpkins are heavy feeders! It’s important to mix aged manure and/or compost into the soil.

When to Plant Pumpkins

Pumpkins are sensitive to the cold. Do not sow seeds directly until well after danger of frost is past and the soil is between 65° and 95°F (18° to 35°C). If the soil is at 70°, seedlings should emerge in 5 to 10 days. For cooler climates, this is often in late May. Our Planting Calendar shows you the FIRST planting date for your location.

• To have pumpkins for Halloween, look at the seed packet for how many days to harvest. Count backward from a week or so before Halloween to know when to sow the seeds.
• Where the growing season is very short, start by sowing indoors in peat pots, 2 to 4 weeks before last spring frost.

How to Plant Pumpkins

• Plant in rows 6 to 10 feet apart. Or, plant in hills 4 to 8 feet apart. A hill does not mean the soil has to be mounded; it’s a spot containing a group of plants or seeds. Hills warm soil quickly (so seeds germinate faster) and aid with drainage and pest control. Prepare hills by digging down 12 to 15 inches and mixing/filling in with lots of aged manure and/or compost.
• In rows, sow seeds 6 to 12 inches apart. Once seedlings are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to one plant every 18 to 36 inches.
• In hills, set seeds 1 inch deep with four or five seeds per hill. Keep seeds moist until germination. When seedings are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to two or three per hill by snipping out unwanted plants.
• If sowing indoors in peat pots, harden off seedlings before transplanting into warm, aged manure/compost-enriched soil.

Learn more about preparing soil for planting. 

In this video, Ben shows us his method for growing pumpkins!

Growing

• Use row covers to protect plants early in the season and to prevent insect problems. However, remember to remove covers before flowering to allow pollination.
• Bees are essential for pollination, so be mindful when using insecticides to kill bugs or fungicides to control fungus. If you must use, apply only in the late afternoon or early evening, when blossoms are closed for the day. To attract more bees, try placing a bee house in your garden. Or, grow colorful flowers near the patch. 
• Pumpkins need 1 inch of water per week. Water deeply, in the morning and on very hot afternoons, especially during fruit set. Avoid watering foliage and fruit unless it’s a sunny day. Dampness invites rot and disease.
• Add mulch around your pumpkins to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and discourage pests.
• Weed gently; pumpkins have shallow roots that can be easily damaged. Also, take care not to damage the delicate vines; the quality of the fruit depends on them.
• Side-dress with aged manure or co most mixed with water. 
• Small vine varieties can be trained to grow up a trellis. Larger varieties can be trained upward, too, to support the fruit, usually with netting or old stockings.
• Pumpkins are heavy feeders. Side-dress with aged manure or compost mixed with water. When plants are about 1 foot tall, just before vines begin to run, fertilize regularly with a high-nitrogen formula. Just before the blooming period, switch to a high-phosphorus formula fertilizer.
• If your first flowers aren’t forming fruits, that’s normal. Both male and female blossoms need to open. Be patient.

How to Grow a Bigger Pumpkin

• After a few pumpkins have formed, pinch off the fuzzy ends of each vine to stop vine growth and focus plant energy on the fruit.
• Pruning the vines may help with space and fruit formation. Pumpkins produce main vines (from the base/center of the plant), secondary vines from the main ones, and tertiary vines from the secondary vines. All may have flowers. Once fruit has started to develop, prune the main and secondary vines to 10 to 15 feet and remove the tertiary vines, if desired. Bury the cut tips in soil.
• Or, gardeners who are looking for a “prize for size” pumpkin might select the 2 or 3 prime candidates and remove all other fruit and vines.
• As the fruit develops, turn them—with great care not to hurt the vine or stem—to encourage an even shape. Slip a thin board or stone or piece of plastic mesh under pumpkins to protect them from rotting on the soil.
• To grow a giant pumpkin, try the ‘Dill’s Atlantic Giant’ jumbo variety. Fruit can grow to 200 pounds on 25-foot vines. Plants need 130 to 160 days to mature, so start seedlings indoors, then thin to the best 1 or 2 to plants. 
• Feed heavily and cultivate shallowly.
• Remove the first two or three female flowers to generate more leaf surface before a plant sets fruit.
• Allow one fruit to develop. Remove all other female flowers.
• Take care that the vine does not root down near the joints to avoid breakage.

Recommended Varieties

Every pumpkin has a best purpose. When it comes to choosing a pumpkin, think about what you want to do with it. All pumpkins are technically edible, but ornamentals are better for carving and other pumpkins are best for cooking.

Miniature Pumpkins

Miniature pumpkins are very productive and easy to grow, sometimes producing up to a dozen fruits per plant.

• ‘Jack Be Little’, a miniature variety, is dual purpose. Store-bought shiny (painted) ones make an ideal decoration for a holiday table. Remove the seeds from farm- or home-grown specimens and then bake them for a tiny treat. Vine variety. Days to maturity: 90 to 100 days.
• ‘We-B-Little’ is an All-America Selection winner, and ‘Munchkin’ is another great miniature pumpkin.

Pumpkins for carving

• ‘Autumn Gold’ great for carving, decorating. All-America Selection winner. Vine variety. Excellent for Jack-o-Lanterns. Days to maturity are generally 100 to 120 days.
• The larger ‘Magic Lantern’ and ‘Merlin’ are great for carving and decorating.

Giant pumpkins

• ‘Dill’s Atlantic Giant’ jumbo variety can grow to 200 pounds. Great for those who want to grow a giant pumpkin. Vines will spread to 25 feet, so space is a must. Days to maturity are 130 to 160 days, so plant early! Thin to the best one or two plants. Feed heavily but keep cultivation shallow. Remove first 2 or 3 female flowers after the plants start to bloom so that the plants grow larger with more leaf surface before setting fruit. Allow a single fruit to develop and pick off all female flowers that develop after this fruit has set on the plant. Take care that the vine doesn’t root down near the joints to avoid breakage.
• ‘Big Max’, ‘Big Moon’, ‘Jack O’ Lantern’, and ‘Funny Face’ are some of the best giant pumpkins for carving.

Perfect pumpkins for pies

• ‘Sugar Treat’ is excellent for cooking and baking. Days to maturity are generally 100 to 120 days. ‘Hijinks’ and ‘Baby Bear’ are both All-America Selection winners and have sweet flesh for pumpkin pie.
• ‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ is also perfect for pies or soups.
• ‘Peanut Pumpkin’ also produces very sweet flesh and can be great in pumpkin pie or pumpkin puree. 

Colorful decorative pumpkins

• ‘Jarrahdale’ has blue-green skin and makes for great decorations.
• ‘Pepitas Pumpkin’ is orange and green.
• ‘Super Moon’ is a large white pumpkin.

Harvesting

Your best bet is to harvest pumpkins when they are fully mature—and not before. They will keep best this way. Do not pick pumpkins off the vine because they have reached your desired size. (If you want small pumpkins, grow a small variety.)

• Harvest on a dry day after the plants have died back and the skins are hard.
• The skin of a ripening pumpkin turns a deep, solid color (orange for most varieties) and the stem hardens. 
• Thump the pumpkin with a finger; the rind will feel hard and sound hollow. Press a fingernail into the pumpkin’s skin; if it resists puncture, it is ripe.
• Carefully cut the fruit off the vine with a sharp knife or pruners; do not tear it. Be sure not to cut too close to the pumpkin. Leave 3 to 4 inches of stem to increase its keeping time. 
• Handle pumpkins very gently or they may bruise. Never carry a pumpkin by its stem.

How to Cure, Store, and Display Pumpkins

• To toughen the skin and intensify flavor, cure pumpkins in a sunny spot for about 10 days in an area that is 80º to 85º F, with 80 to 85% humidity. This is a great time to display your pumpkin on the front porch! If you’re carving a pumpkin, carve no more than 3 days before Halloween or the pumpkin will begin to rot. 
• After curing, store pumpkins in a cool, dry cellar or root cellar or the like at 50º to 55ºF for 2 to 3 months.
• Properly saved seeds should last for 6 years.

Check out this video for tips on curing and storing pumpkins.

Wit and Wisdom

Pumpkin Trivia

• A slice of pumpkin pie before bedtime may help you to sleep.
• Pumpkins were once thought to cure snakebites.
• Pumpkins have been grown in North America for almost 5,000 years.
• Pumpkins are a nutritional powerhouse! Learn more about winter squash’s health benefits!
• Pumpkin halves were once used as guides for haircuts in colonial days, giving rise to the nickname “pumpkinhead.”

Carving Pumpkins

• Pumpkins are a popular decorating for fall holidays in the United States. Read more about Halloween.
• Inscribe messages on growing pumpkins with a large nail. The letters will scar over while the pumpkins grow and will still be visible at harvesttime.
• See 5 tips for picking the perfect pumpkin for carving!

Pests/Diseases

Be aware that poor light, too much fertilizer, poor weather at bloom time, and reduced pollinating insect activity can result in poor fruit set, shape, and excessive blossom drop.

Pumpkin Pests and Diseases

Cooking Notes

• See how to clean a pumpkin for cooking.
• Don’t forget about the seeds! Roast them with salt or cinnamon for a tasty treat.

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