Key Highlights
- The Pumpkin takes 90 to 120 days to grow completely. The timeline may vary due to other factors.
- Ensure 1 inch of water per week, avoid overwatering, and mulch to retain moisture. Use a nitrogen-enriched fertilizer.
- Cure the pumpkins in the sun for about a week to improve storage life.
Who is not a fan of Pumpkins? It's a gourd of autumn that is well-known for reminding us of being a kid and carving jack-o-lanterns for Halloween or driving through the countryside and noticing the bright orange pumpkins growing. These fruits of the season are usually most people's favorite seasonal treasures. But have you ever thought about how much fun it could be to grow your own pumpkins?
If yes, you are going to have a fun and rewarding time gardening. We are going to look from A to Z about pumpkin growth. More importantly, the big question is: how long do pumpkins take to grow?
How Long Does It Take to Grow A Pumpkin From A Seed Into Harvest?
Pumpkin growth could be quite interesting, divided into a number of distinct stages. The average growing time for a pumpkin vine right from the very beginning of planting its seeds may take around 90 to 120 days. Actually, this depends on the varieties that you are cultivating and also the environmental features of your garden.
Without wasting anymore time, here are the stages of how pumpkins grow :
1. Sowing the Seeds
It starts with seeding into the ground. Pumpkins want full sun, meaning at least six hours of direct sunlight a day in a particular location in your garden. For the ground, the soil really should be warm—pumpkins especially like at least 70°F (21°C) soil temperature. Cool climates can get a jump on the growing by starting seeds indoors and then transplanting outside after the last frost date.
2. Germination of Seeds, 7-10 days
Germination will take place a week to 10 days after sowing. By this time, you will begin to see the first leaves, otherwise known as cotyledons, peering above the soil. This can be quite an exciting time for the gardener because he realizes he has just started the life cycle of the pumpkin.
3. Growing Living Leaves (1 Week)
After a seed has germinated and begins to sprout, the time comes for it to produce true leaves. These leaves are larger and more distinct than the first leaves and show that the plant is really ready to begin growing as it needs to. This normally happens one week after a seed-planting process has begun.
4. Fast Growing Vine
Next is one of the most dramatic phases: vine development. Pumpkin vines, under the best conditions, can grow many inches daily. The vines will sprawl all over the garden, so make sure they have plenty of room—some varieties will send out vines as long as 20 feet!
5. Flowering (8-10 Weeks After Planting)
The first flowers of your pumpkin plant will appear in about 8-10 weeks from planting. These bright yellow flowers are the most important for the next course of action, which is pollination. First appear the male flowers, followed by the female ones around 10 days later.
6. Pollination
Pumpkins require a well-planned pollination in order to set fruit. Bees and other pollinators transfer the pollen from the male flowers to the females. If that works out, you will soon see little pumpkins starting to grow at the bottom of the female flowers.
7. Fruitlets formation (40-50 Days)
After pollination, the fruit starts to develop. Pumpkins are initially small, minute, and green but develop relatively very quickly. During the next 40–50 days of growth, the fruit will still grow in size as the color changes with ripening. In most cases, when mature, pumpkins are bright orange, though some may be white, red, or even light-colored.
8. Harvest: Late Summer to Early Fall
The last process in the growing of the pumpkins is harvesting. Harvesting would be known to take place at a time when the vines dry up and thus start dying. Another indication that the pumpkins are ready for picking is when they give a hollow sound if you hit them. Harvesting usually takes place during late summer to early fall, depending on your planting date and pumpkin type.
Pumpkin Variations: How They Influence Growth Time
Days to maturity for pumpkins can vary greatly, depending on the variety you happen to be growing. Here is a rough idea:
- Mini Pumpkins (‘Jack Be Little'): These tiny pumpkins are ready in as little as 85 days. Great for small gardens or even on a trellis.
- Common Pumpkins (‘Autumn Gold' type): medium-sized fruit, primarily for carving. A typical harvest will usually follow in 100 days.
- Large Pumpkins: The usual for large Jack O' Lanterns are, for example ‘Howden'. These take as much as 120 days to mature.
- Giant Pumpkins (‘Atlantic Giant' etc): Growing a single giant one is going to take lots of long patience. Giant varieties take up to 130 days to grow out completely.
How to Grow Healthy Pumpkins: How to Maximize Your Pumpkin Yield
Now that you know how to grow pumpkins, let's talk about how to harvest them properly. Now, here are some simple tips for strong pumpkins:
1. Selection Of The Proper Variety
Begin by selecting a pumpkin variety that matches your gardening goal. If carving Jack O' Lanterns, look for large varieties like ‘Howden' and ‘Captain Jack'. For baking, one looks for the smaller, sweeter varieties like ‘Sugar Pie'.
2. Allow Your Pumpkins Space
Pumpkins need much room for their development, especially the large-sized ones. Plant at least a spacing of 5 feet from one plant to the other and space out smaller types vertically on a trellis if space is minimal.
3. Provide Adequate Water
Pumpkins need approximately an inch of water a week and this is especially true when fruits are setting. Over-watering, however, should be avoided because it can cause some kind of fungal development in pumpkins. Be ready to bottom water your plants so the leaves remain dry, lowering the susceptibility to disease.
4. Mulch And Fertilize
Mulching around the plants encourages soil moisture retention and weed inhibition. Besides, pumpkins are heavy feeders, and frequent fertilization using balanced fertilizer encourages health during pumpkin growth. Indeed, a nitrogen-rich fertilizer would be useful to use in the early stages of growth, shifting to phosphorus- and potassium-heavy when the fruit begins developing.
5. Observe For Pests And Diseases
Pumpkin pests, in general, tend to be squash bugs and cucumber beetles. Pumpkin diseases tend to be powdery mildew. Consistent scouting of your plants can detect problems early enough for remedial measures to be possible. Utilize organic pesticides and fungicides if necessary.
When and How to Pick Your Pumpkins
You will want to harvest your pumpkins at just the right time, but don't wait too long. Some pointers are:
Timing: When the vines have dried and turned brown or the pumpkins have reached full color, the skin should be hard and not pierce easily with a fingernail.
Harvesting: A sharp knife or pruning shears can be used to cut off the pumpkin from the vine, but leave an inch or few inches of the stem. This will help the pumpkin last longer.
Curing: After harvest leave the pumpkins in the sun for about one week to cure this hardens the skin and increases storage life.
Conclusion
Get Growing Your Pumpkin Today Knowing these phases of development and following the tips below, you will be on the right track to a very good harvest. Growing pumpkins adds that touch of autumn magic to your garden. The use of your own homegrown pumpkin, for carving or even just decoration with it or baking it, is one of the most satisfying things. So, you are wondering how long it really takes to grow a pumpkin? Now you know. With good care, your pumpkin will be ready to be picked within 90-120 days. Happy gardening!
