Skip to content
BeetfoxDeutsch

How to grow pumpkins

Frost-tender · Squash family

When to sow and plant

  • Sow outdoors 6–20 May
  • Plant out 20–27 May

Frost-tender: everything 17 days later, so it only goes outside once there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years.

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Planting calendar for your area
Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

  • Sow outdoors: 0–2 weeks after the last frost (University of Maryland Extension: Growing Pumpkins in a Home Garden)
  • Plant out: 2–3 weeks after the last frost (Cornell Garden-Based Learning: Indoor Vegetable Seed Starting (Factsheet, 2015))

Good and bad neighbours

Good neighbours · 2

  • SweetcornExpert rule· C

    Squash fills the space between corn plants, shades the soil and suppresses weeds.

    C: Expert rule with a reason

    Sweetcorn

  • Pole beanExpert rule· C

    Big squash leaves keep the soil moist and shaded, which is said to help bean flowering.

    C: Expert rule with a reason

    Pole bean

Crop rotation

After the squash family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years).

  • The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
  • Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.
  • Heavy feeders two years in a row on the same bed are not a mistake, but they take more out of the soil.

At a glance

Family
Squash family (Cucurbitaceae)
Nutrient needs
Heavy feeder
Frost
Tender to frost
Spacing (row × plant)
122–183 × 61–91 cm (48–72 × 24–36 in)
Plants per m²
1.3
Life cycle
Annual
Harvest
After 100 days

Spacing according to USU Extension: How to Grow Pumpkins in Your Garden. Other sources: – × 90–150 cm (– × 35–59 in) (RHS: How to grow pumpkins).

Questions and answers

When can I plant out pumpkins?

Plant out, average for Germany: 20–27 May. That is the date after which there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant pumpkins?

122–183 × 61–91 cm (48–72 × 24–36 in) (row × plant), according to USU Extension: How to Grow Pumpkins in Your Garden.

What grows well next to pumpkins?

Sweetcorn: Good neighbour (C) and Pole bean: Good neighbour (C).

How long a break do pumpkins need in the same bed?

After the squash family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years). The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

More from the squash family

Sources

Show 11 sources
  1. Südtiroler Bauernbund: Merkblatt Fruchtfolgen im Gemüsebau (Oktober 2022)
  2. Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein: Fruchtfolge im Garten (Gartenmerkblatt, 2020)
  3. RHS: How to grow pumpkins
  4. University of Maryland Extension: Growing Pumpkins in a Home Garden
  5. USU Extension: How to Grow Pumpkins in Your Garden
  6. Cornell Garden-Based Learning: Indoor Vegetable Seed Starting (Factsheet, 2015)
  7. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (über die GBIF-API, species/match)
  8. RHS (Guy Barter): Three ways to use companion planting
  9. Utah State University Extension (Mohr, Trundle, Hagevik): Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens – Companion Planting (Juli 2025)
  10. BUND: Mischkultur – Gute und schlechte Nachbarn (August 2026)
  11. RHS: Growing Your Own – The three sisters

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.