When Does the Pumpkin Fruit Appear After Flowering?

Growing Season

• Pumpkins require bright, warm growing conditions and fail in frost. Start them indoors four to six weeks before last frost and transplant them into the garden when the ground thaws. Sow the pumpkin seeds directly into the outdoor garden in areas with four to five-month summers. Pumpkins must grow to maturity and harvest before fall frost descends.

Site and Soil

• Plant pumpkins in sites with full, bright sun all day, good air circulation and plenty of space. Pumpkins cannot bloom or produce their fruit in shaded locations. Nourish and warm the soil with organic compost at planting and encourage best fruit production with 2 inches of water every week and 46-0-0 or 27-3-3 fertilizer at mid-season.

Maturity Date, Blooming and Fruiting

• Pumpkins grow to maturity in 100 to 120 days. This means that it takes the plants 100 to 120 days from germination to reach full fruit harvest. If you plant in mid-spring, your pumpkins will bloom in mid- to late-summer. Male pumpkin flowers appear first, on long, thin stems that reach up from the plant. Female flowers grow second on short, thicker stems. Small pumpkin formations grow just under the female flowers. If the flowers pollinate, they drop off after two to three days to expose their pumpkins.

Harvest

• Allow pumpkins to grow to full maturity on the vine. Cut them from the vine when their color deepens and rinds turn hard. Harvest the fruit before hard frosts or heavy rains, as either of these damages pumpkins. Cut the pumpkins from the plants with several inches of vine attached to avoid damaging the fruit.