How Does It Grow | Pumpkin | PBS (2024)

FAQs

Do pumpkins need full sun? ›

Pumpkins love spending their days in the warm sun, so plant them in a spot that sees sun all day. If you're growing pumpkins in small spaces and your only option doesn't offer all-day sun, somewhere that gets at least 6 hours of direct sun a day can work.

However, in contrast with other plants, the pumpkin plant goes through six stages: seed, sprout, vine, flower, green pumpkin, and orange pumpkin.

Did you know that pumpkins grow on vines? We see pumpkins each fall, sometimes they are decorated and sometimes used in delicious recipes. But we don't always get to see how pumpkins grow. The pumpkin vine plays an important role in bringing nutrients to the pumpkin itself.

Internal vesicles called phloem carry sugar to fruits, and research indicates that pumpkins have more dedicated phloem tissue than most plants, helping them grow even larger. And giant pumpkins seem to have even more phloem tissue than smaller pumpkin varieties, Grumet adds.

Mature pumpkins are 80 to 90 percent water, so you can bet that pumpkins need a lot of water as they grow. Irrigate plants when soil is dry. It's typical for pumpkin leaves to wilt at high noon, but if plants are wilted in the early morning, that's a sign you need to water.

You can also grow pumpkins in a large 5- to 10-gallon bucket if need be. It is important to note that pumpkins require nutrient-rich soil—and a lot of it—as their large size tends to foster an even larger appetite for fresh soil. Make sure the soil you lay down is well-drained and not too soggy.

Since the growing season for pumpkins is from early spring to fall, it's important to harvest your plants before the first hard frost of winter. These fruits must be replanted every year—your pumpkins will not come back in the spring on their own.

Pumpkins are usually harvested in September and October. Once off the vine, healthy pumpkins will last from three months to a whole year if they're stored properly. During the pumpkin-picking process, there are a few things to keep in mind, according to gardener Mary Jane Duford and her blog, Home for the Harvest.

Once seeds are planted, it takes about 90 to 120 days3 for a pumpkin to fully develop, depending on the variety.

Scientists believe that pumpkins originated in North America about 9000 years ago. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found in Mexico and date back to somewhere between 7000-5550 B.C.. Pumpkins (along with other forms of squash) were a historically important food staple among Native Americans.

Why do pumpkins only grow in the fall? ›

While we enjoy Pumpkin Spiced Lattes and bread and pie in October and November, the growing of Pumpkins actually starts in May because they require a LONG time growing with NO frost (generally 75-100 days of no frost nights). “Of autumn's wine, now drink your fill; The frost's on the pumpkin, and snow's on the hill.”

Since the growing season for pumpkins is from early spring to fall, it's important to harvest your plants before the first hard frost of winter. These fruits must be replanted every year—your pumpkins will not come back in the spring on their own.

So yes, they'll grow, though the fruit they produce will most likely look nothing like what you're expecting. Even if your variety is open-pollinated and heirloom (like all of Fruition's pumpkins), know all pumpkins will readily cross with other pumpkins and squash in its species, Cucurbita pepo, up to one mile.

Generally, pumpkins take 90-120 days to mature after seeds are planted, depending on the variety. Pumpkins are ripe when they are fully colored and have a hard rind and woody stem.