How to Keep Your New Pumpkin Plants Warm in the Cold

Lay the black plastic row cover over the soil after cultivating and amending it with compost. Leave the row cover in place for at least two days before transplanting pumpkin plants outdoors to warm the soil.

Plant the pumpkin plants into the prepared soil by cutting slits in the row cover and making small holes in the soil with a garden trowel. Space rows at least 3 feet apart and each plant 6 feet apart in the rows unless you are growing giant pumpkins. Cover the roots of the pumpkin plants with soil and tamp the soil firmly with your hands. Reposition the row cover so it sits snugly over the soil around the plants.

Cut the bottom 2 inches off the plastic milk containers with a scissors or sharp knife, and place one container over every plant on the evening before you expect an overnight frost. Alternatively, use a 1-gallon bucket over every pumpkin plant.

Remove the milk containers or buckets the next morning after the temperature rises over 35 degrees Fahrenheit.