When to Plant Pumpkins
veg · tender · ~100 days to harvest
Planting time for pumpkins is set by your frost dates, not by the calendar month. Start seeds indoors about 3 weeks before your last spring frost, then transplant about 2 weeks after it. From there it takes roughly 100 days to the first harvest. Pumpkins is a tender crop, and a single light frost ends it, so both ends of its season are hard boundaries. Pick your zone below for exact dates, or find your zone by ZIP if you are not sure which one you are in.
When to plant pumpkins by zone
| Zone | Last frost | Start indoors | In the ground | Spring harvest | Fall sow-by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | May 15 | Apr 24 | May 29 | Sep 6 | — |
| Zone 3b | May 13 | Apr 22 | May 27 | Sep 4 | — |
| Zone 4a | May 10 | Apr 19 | May 24 | Sep 1 | — |
| Zone 4b | May 5 | Apr 14 | May 19 | Aug 27 | — |
| Zone 5a | Apr 30 | Apr 9 | May 14 | Aug 22 | — |
| Zone 5b | Apr 25 | Apr 4 | May 9 | Aug 17 | — |
| Zone 6a | Apr 20 | Mar 30 | May 4 | Aug 12 | — |
| Zone 6b | Apr 15 | Mar 25 | Apr 29 | Aug 7 | — |
| Zone 7a | Apr 10 | Mar 20 | Apr 24 | Aug 2 | — |
| Zone 7b | Apr 3 | Mar 13 | Apr 17 | Jul 26 | — |
| Zone 8a | Mar 25 | Mar 4 | Apr 8 | Jul 17 | — |
| Zone 8b | Mar 15 | Feb 22 | Mar 29 | Jul 7 | — |
| Zone 9a | Mar 1 | Feb 8 | Mar 15 | Jun 23 | — |
| Zone 9b | Feb 15 | Jan 25 | Mar 1 | Jun 9 | — |
| Zone 10a | Jan 31 | Jan 10 | Feb 14 | May 25 | — |
| Zone 10b | Jan 15 | Dec 25 | Jan 29 | May 9 | — |
| Zone 11a | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | May 12 | Oct onward |
| Zone 11b | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | May 12 | Oct onward |
| Zone 12a | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | May 12 | Oct onward |
| Zone 12b | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | May 12 | Oct onward |
| Zone 13a | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | May 12 | Oct onward |
| Zone 13b | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | May 12 | Oct onward |
Dates use the representative frost window for each zone. Your own ZIP will differ by a week or two: look it up here.
Planting pumpkins in fall
Pumpkins are already a fall harvest, but they are planted in early summer. There is no second sowing.
For the whole-garden version of this arithmetic, see the fall planting calendar by zone, and how to read and stretch your first frost date.
When to plant pumpkins in 12 US cities
These use each city's own NOAA frost dates rather than its zone average, which is why two cities in the same zone can differ by a week or more. Texas alone spans a wide range: in Houston (Zone 9a) pumpkins go in around Feb 27 in spring; in Dallas (Zone 8a) pumpkins go in around Mar 22 in spring.
| City | Zone | Last frost | In the ground (spring) | Fall sow-by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 7b | Mar 30 | Apr 13 | — |
| Los Angeles, CA | 10b | none | Feb onward (warm season) | — |
| Chicago, IL | 6a | Apr 16 | Apr 30 | — |
| Houston, TX | 9a | Feb 13 | Feb 27 | — |
| Phoenix, AZ | 9b | none | Feb onward (warm season) | — |
| Philadelphia, PA | 7b | Apr 2 | Apr 16 | — |
| Atlanta, GA | 8a | Mar 15 | Mar 29 | — |
| Dallas, TX | 8a | Mar 8 | Mar 22 | — |
| Denver, CO | 6a | May 5 | May 19 | — |
| Seattle, WA | 8b | Mar 2 | Mar 16 | — |
| Minneapolis, MN | 4b | Apr 23 | May 7 | — |
| Miami, FL | 11a | none | Feb onward (warm season) | — |
What to plant with pumpkins
Pumpkins grow well next to corn and radishes. Keep them away from potatoes. Same cucurbit space competition as zucchini and winter squash. The full grid for all 24 crops is in the companion planting chart.
Pumpkins zone pages
More on growing pumpkins
- When to start seeds indoors by zone
Indoor start dates for pumpkins, counted back from your last frost.
- Hardening off seedlings: a schedule
A day by day plan for moving pumpkins seedlings outdoors.
- Best grow lights for seed starting
What light seedlings actually need, and which fixtures deliver it.
- Seed-starting setup: what you actually need
Trays, mix, heat and light for starting pumpkins indoors.
- Companion planting chart
What to plant with pumpkins and what to keep away from it.
Frequently asked questions
When can I plant pumpkins?
As soon as your zone's last frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Zone 5b: May 9; Zone 6b: Apr 29; Zone 7b: Apr 17; Zone 8b: Mar 29. Start seeds indoors 3 weeks before your last frost.
How long does pumpkins take to grow?
About 100 days from transplant or sowing to harvest.
Is pumpkins frost-hardy?
Pumpkins is a tender crop. Wait until after the last frost to plant outdoors.
Can you plant pumpkins in the fall?
No. Pumpkins are already a fall harvest, but they are planted in early summer. There is no second sowing.
What is the latest I can plant pumpkins?
Pumpkins has to go in early enough to finish before your first frost, so the last useful planting is the spring or early summer one for your zone.