Grow a pumpkin from seed
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
A pumpkin goes from a seed on a windowsill to a fruit you can barely lift in a single summer, and growers chasing world records start the same way. Curing and storing your own means eating it well into winter.
ModerateUnder £100 / $130MonthsOutdoorsAlone or with othersUK and USSow in spring, harvest in autumn
Someone who has done it
Ron Wallace grew the world's heaviest pumpkin, 3,156lb, in Rhode Island in 2026. He has no connection with the guides linked here.
How to start
- Pick a warm, sunny, sheltered spot this autumn and spread compost over it.
- Sow one seed per small pot indoors in mid-to-late April.
- Plant out after the last frost, water at the roots, and cut the fruit before the first autumn frost.
Where to go
We opened these links on 17 October 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Projects run over months and stall without a rhythm, so the plan sets milestones you can see.
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