Growing Pumpkin

Cucurbita sp. : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
S           S S S S S S
T T T         T T T T T
P P           P P P P P

(Best months for growing Pumpkin in Australia - sub-tropical regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 68°F and 90°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 35 - 47 inches apart
  • Harvest in 15-20 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweet Corn
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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29 Oct 14, Cheryl (Australia - temperate climate)
My mother has had diificlty getting her pumpkins to produce female flowers. She gets lots of leaves and male flowers, but no female. Any idea why, and what she can do to get pumpkins this year?
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02 Aug 14, Laurie Thompson (Australia - temperate climate)
Have there been any memos on the Windsor Black Pumpkin lately . Laurie
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29 Jul 14, Garry (Australia - temperate climate)
Hey Pete, Reckon someones pulling your leg. Pumpkins produce male and female flowers on the same vine, but only the female flowers produce fruit.
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15 Nov 14, Hank (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Pete, I am aware of that but don't you have to manually pollinate them and if so, what is the best way?
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27 Jul 14, Pete (Australia - temperate climate)
I am told by a number of people around my area that I should only plant seed from a 'female' pumpkin. I understand each plant has both male and female flowers needed to produce fruit. Am I being fed a myth? All my efforts to find out the facts lead nowhere. Question-- can you sex a pumpkin?
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02 Aug 14, Roz (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Pete, Garry is totally correct. The same plant produce both male and femail flowers.
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16 Aug 14, Sally (Australia - temperate climate)
Female pumpkins have a large circle formation an the base (finger tip and thumb tip to make a circle size) and the males have a small circle( 20 cent coin size)
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06 Oct 14, Karen (Australia - temperate climate)
All fruit is sort of "female". Like all species only the female produces offspring. So you can't get a male or female fruit for that matter. Male flower, yes, but not male fruit. It's the female flower that develops into a fruit after pollination by a male. As Gary said, someone was pulling your leg.
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22 Jun 14, Lorraine (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
My pumpkin plants are not dead they are sending out new strong branches with flower buds. Will I leave them in for next summer? Will they fruit next summer?.
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02 Apr 14, jenni (Australia - temperate climate)
at our community garden we are inundated with slaters.....they ate down to soil level 5 of the 6 pumpkin seedlings, approx 6inches long, that we have just planted. we need help please
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No I haven't been able to get any more Windsor Black seeds I only had a couple of seeds that were given to me, I planted them on the side of a very small hill in Heavy soil they grew and branched every where were getting male flowers And the female flowers were forming, but 10 days of solid rain the patch was absolutely saturated the rest of our property was flooded I thought they would be alright but thr female buds went yellow & dropped off. I prayed & begged for the vines not to die but 90% did.I was shattered. one vine in the row above it The McLeay Mongrel survived Another Victorian Pumpkin, was so sick I just forgot it, went down the Hill the other day the grass was 2 & 1/2 feet high and I trod on something in the grass and nearly fell over looked and found one McLeay Mongrel Pumpkin I have collected the seed from what has to be the weirdest Pumpkin ever, But probably the nicest eating Pumpkin ever, I would say it is probably the rarest as well. The McLeay Mongrel Is a very dry pumpkin with superb flavor much like Iron Bark sweeter & nuttier, I have looked at it it is more than likely a Triamble Iron Bark cross Maybe some Qld. Blue. I am offering 4 seeds up for Auction on eBay I do not have many seeds, so thought if I put a good reserve in them only the very serious growers would buy them. Be Warned it is not a pretty pumpkin but needs some serious pumpkin growers to keep it from extinction, it is a heavy solid pumpkin, looks like an Alien lava Rock. visit eBay Pumpkins just to see it. Regards. Sylvia.

- Sylvia Allan

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