Rainline Garden
When to plant pumpkins in Oregon and Washington
In Portland: Plant pumpkins in the garden May 15 – Jun 5, either as seeds or as young plants started indoors Apr 17–24. In Bend: Jun 9–30. Find your city below.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 4 to 6 feet apart in hills; giant types need 15 feet or more
- Planting depth
- 1 inch deep
- Frost
- Killed by frost
- First harvest
- About 105 days after planting
For Halloween pumpkins, get plants in the ground by early June. Pie pumpkins and medium carving types ripen reliably here; giant pumpkins need a long, warm season and a lot of space and water.
Pumpkins planting dates
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Eugene, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | May 12–19 | Jun 9–30 |
| Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
Find your town
Portland area, OR 6 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Gresham, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Oregon City and West Linn, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Portland, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| St. Helens and Scappoose, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
Willamette Valley, OR 5 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Corvallis and Albany, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Cottage Grove, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Eugene, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| McMinnville and Newberg, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Salem, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
Southern Oregon, OR 4 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Ashland and Talent, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Grants Pass, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Medford, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Roseburg, OR | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
Oregon Coast, OR 5 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Astoria, OR | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Brookings and Gold Beach, OR | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Coos Bay and North Bend, OR | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Newport and Lincoln City, OR | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Tillamook, OR | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
Central Oregon and the high desert, OR 6 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Bend and Redmond, OR | May 12–19 | Jun 9–30 |
| Burns, OR | May 14–21 | Jun 11 – Jul 2 |
| Klamath Falls, OR | May 12–19 | Jun 9–30 |
| Lakeview, OR | May 7–14 | Jun 4–25 |
| Madras, OR | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
| Prineville, OR | May 4–11 | Jun 1–22 |
Columbia Gorge and eastern Oregon, OR 9 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Baker City, OR | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
| Enterprise and Joseph, OR | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
| Hermiston, OR | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Hood River, OR | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| John Day, OR | Apr 30 – May 7 | May 28 – Jun 18 |
| La Grande, OR | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Ontario, OR | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Pendleton, OR | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| The Dalles, OR | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
Seattle and Puget Sound, WA 6 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Everett, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Olympia, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Shelton, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
North Sound and the islands, WA 5 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Anacortes, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Bellingham, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
Olympic Peninsula and coast, WA 6 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Forks, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Port Angeles, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Port Townsend, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Sequim, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
Southwest Washington, WA 3 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Longview and Kelso, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Vancouver, WA | Apr 17–24 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
Wenatchee and the Okanogan, WA 5 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Chelan, WA | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Leavenworth, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Omak and Okanogan, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Wenatchee, WA | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin, WA 8 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Ellensburg, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Goldendale, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Moses Lake, WA | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Walla Walla, WA | Apr 3–10 | May 1–22 |
| Yakima, WA | Apr 10–17 | May 8–29 |
Spokane and eastern Washington, WA 3 towns
| City | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Colville, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Pullman, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 22–29 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
How to grow pumpkins
- Start seeds indoors on your city's dates in trays or small pots under a grow light or in your sunniest window. Or skip this step and buy young plants (starts) at a garden center.
- Harden off the young plants: about a week before planting, set them outside for a few hours a day, a little longer each day.
- Plant them in the garden on your city's dates, 4 to 6 feet apart in hills; giant types need 15 feet or more. If you plant seeds instead, sow them 1 inch deep.
- Water deeply once or twice a week rather than a little every day, and mulch once the soil is warm.
- Harvest: Cut pumpkins when the rind is fully colored and too hard to dent with a fingernail, leaving 3 to 4 inches of stem. Bring them in before a hard frost.
Popular pumpkins varieties
Widely sold picks that do well somewhere in Oregon or Washington. The tag says which side of the mountains suits each one best.
Howden
The original jack-o'-lantern pumpkin: round, deep orange, 20 to 25 pounds, with a sturdy handle. Plant by early June for Halloween.
Both sides
Small Sugar
A small, sweet heirloom pumpkin of about 5 to 8 pounds with smooth flesh for pies. It ripens more reliably here than big carving types.
Both sides
Jack Be Little
Tiny, flattened orange pumpkins that fit in your palm, many per vine. Great for decorations and for kids, and they keep for months.
Both sides
Cinderella (Rouge Vif d'Etampes)
Deep red-orange, flattened, ribbed pumpkins that look like a fairy-tale coach. Good for both decorating and cooking.
Both sides
Atlantic Giant
The variety behind most giant pumpkin records. In the Northwest it needs an early start indoors, a large sunny plot and a lot of water and feeding.
Both sides
Key numbers
- 70–90°FSoil to sprout
- 90–120Days to harvest
- 25–50 sq ftSpace per plant
- Powdery mildewBiggest risk
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
Timing for Halloween
Most carving pumpkins need 90 to 110 days from planting to ripe. Count back from early October: in most of the Northwest that means plants should be in the ground by late May or early June. Starting them indoors three to four weeks early gives you a head start in cool springs. Pumpkins that ripen in September keep fine in a cool, dry spot until Halloween.
Space, feeding and pollination
Pumpkin vines run 10 to 20 feet. Give each plant a hill of soil mixed with plenty of compost, and let the vines sprawl, or grow small pie types on a sturdy fence. They're heavy feeders and need deep watering once or twice a week, especially once fruit starts to swell.
Each plant has separate male and female flowers. Bees move the pollen; if young fruits shrivel, pollination failed. You can help by brushing pollen from a male flower onto the center of a female one (the one with a tiny pumpkin behind it) in the morning.
Ripening and curing
A ripe pumpkin is fully colored, has a hard rind and sounds hollow when tapped. Cut it with a few inches of stem, never carry it by the stem, and cure it somewhere warm for about a week to harden the skin. Bring them in before a hard frost, which damages the rind and shortens storage.
Common questions about growing pumpkins
When should I plant pumpkins for Halloween?
Late May to early June for most varieties. Check the days to maturity on the seed packet and count back from early October.
Why are my baby pumpkins turning yellow and falling off?
They weren't pollinated. It's common early in the season or in cool, rainy weather when bees are scarce. Later fruits usually set fine, or hand-pollinate in the morning.
Can I grow a giant pumpkin here?
Yes, but it needs a long season, a sunny spot of several hundred square feet, rich soil and lots of water. Start indoors and plant out as soon as it's warm.
Cucumbers
Zucchini and summer squash
Winter squash
Melons