Harvest guide

Pumpkin harvest guide: when to pick and how much to expect

Pumpkins need a long summer and a careful finish: ripen on the vine, cut with a long stalk and cure in the sun. Do that and they keep for months.

Days to harvest: 100 days from sowing(Montana State University Extension)
Harvest months: September–October(RHS)
Typical yield: 11.3 kg per 3 m row (25 lb per 10 ft)(Montana State University Extension)
Spacing: 90–150 cm (36–60 in) apart(RHS)
Family: Cucurbitaceae (gourd family)
Botanical name: Cucurbita pepo, C. maxima and C. moschata

Pumpkin planting and harvest calendar

Sow April–May. Harvest September–October.(RHS)

Pumpkin season timeline

Sow
Harvest

Months are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate, based on RHS (UK) guidance. Shift them earlier or later to match your own frost dates, or by about six months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sow
Harvest

When to harvest pumpkins

Leave pumpkins on the plant until they have fully coloured and the skin is hard.(University of Minnesota Extension)
Harvest before the first frost. Frosted pumpkins won't store.(RHS)
Cut them with at least 10 cm (4 in) of stalk attached. A short stub leaves a soft spot that rots.(RHS)

How often to pick

Pumpkins are a single autumn harvest. Leave them on the vine as long as the weather allows.(RHS)

How many pumpkins to expect

A 3 m (10 ft) row typically gives about 11.3 kg (25 lb).(Montana State University Extension)

Yields vary with variety, weather, soil and care. Treat these as ballpark figures, not targets.

Storing your pumpkins

Cure the skins by leaving the fruit in the sun for a week to 10 days.(RHS)
Store at 10–15 °C (50–60 °F) somewhere airy, with the fruits not touching. They should keep at least three months and up to six in good conditions.(RHS)
Avoid temperatures below about 7 °C (45 °F), which pumpkins are sensitive to.(University of Minnesota Extension)

Track it

Log every pumpkin harvest

Harvest Journal is a private garden journal for your phone. Tap to log each picking of pumpkins by weight or count, and see your season add up, with no account needed.

Prefer paper? Make a free harvest report PDF in your browser, with no account needed.

Pumpkin harvest FAQ

When should I harvest pumpkins?

When they are fully coloured and the skin is hard, and always before frost. The RHS advises cutting with at least 10 cm of stalk.

How long do pumpkins last after harvest?

Cured and kept at 10–15 °C, the RHS says pumpkins keep at least three months and up to six. University of Minnesota Extension gives a more cautious two months.