When to Start Pumpkin Seeds Indoors

Essential Stuff

• For good germinating, you need four things. Soil needs to be light. Sterilized potting soil is best. The soil should be moist but not soggy. Finally, it needs to be warm, ideally between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit if you want good germination rates. The bedding material is important, but even more important for good germination is good seed. Make sure your seeds are solid, not hollow, and not more than one season old.

Timing

• The best way to estimate when you should begin germinating pumpkin seeds is to figure when you want the pumpkins to be ready. If you're timing a fair or exhibition, just figure backward from the date 120 to 150 days, depending on the variety of pumpkin you're planting. Suppose you're planting a giant pumpkin with 150-days growing time to ripening. If you want to enter the pumpkin in the county fair on Sept. 1, you need to start your seeds by at least April 1. A little earlier wouldn't hurt. Try not to start seedlings more than 10 days before the first "safe from frost" day of spring. Consult your local seed store or weather forecaster.

Planting

• Especially with hard, giant pumpkin seeds, file all the edges of each seed with a nail file, except the pointed end. Soak the seeds in warm water for one or two hours. Plant the seeds in 4- to 6-inch peat starter pots with the soil. Poke holes around each pot bottom so the pots drain well. Put 1 or 2 inches of clean, insect-free compost or peat in the bottom of the pots. Fill the pots with light, sterilized potting soil. Apply a little fungicide dust to the seeds according to that product's label directions. Plant the seeds 1 to 2 inches deep with the pointed end down. Water them and place them in a warm, sunny place--on a germinating mat if you can get one from your local nursery. Bottom heat helps the seeds germinate.

Sprouting

• When the sprouts appear, you may need to a move to a cooler place because too much bottom heat after five days can harm the roots of the plants. Once the seedlings emerge in four to six days, the plants will reach planting height in another four to six days. If the seedlings don't sprout in 10 days, do a new planting. Keep the seedlings well ventilated to prevent fungus growth. If you can't keep the room at 75 to 85 degrees F in a sunny area, keep the plants well lighted with ordinary fluorescent lights 24 hours a day. Don't over water them. Transplant the seedlings to the garden when they are at the early three-leaf stage if possible.