Pumpkin
Cucurbita pepo / Cucurbita maxima
Vegetables Difficulty: Moderate
📖 About this plant
A vigorous warm-season vine producing large, round orange fruits used for cooking, pies, and jack-o’-lanterns. Pumpkins range from miniature to giant varieties exceeding 500 kg. Rich in beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber. Both the flesh and roasted seeds are edible and nutritious.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun (6-8 hrs)
💧
Water
Every 2-3 days
💨
Humidity
Moderate (40-60%)
🌡️
Temperature
18-28°C
🪴
Soil
Rich, well-draining loam with abundant organic matter; pH 6.0-7.0
🧪
Fertilizer
High-phosphorus fertilizer at planting; side-dress with balanced fertilizer when vines begin to run; additional potassium as fruits develop
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
कद्दू
BN
Bengali
মিষ্টিকুমড়া
MR
Marathi
कद्दू
TE
Telugu
కాకర
TA
Tamil
பூசணிக்காய்
GU
Gujarati
કદ્દુ
UR
Urdu
کدو
KN
Kannada
ಕಡ್ಡುಕಾಯಿ
OR
Odia
କଦଳୀ
ML
Malayalam
മത്തങ്ങ
PA
Punjabi
ਕੜ੍ਹੂ
AS
Assamese
কদু
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- North America, Central America
- 📏 Max height
- Vining types spread 1.5-6+ m; bush types 60-90 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 180-500 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Yellow, Orange
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Annual
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic edible flesh, seeds, and flowers. Cucurbitacin in ornamental/bitter varieties can cause illness
- 🌱 Propagation
- Direct sow seeds 2.5 cm deep after last frost when soil reaches 21°C; sow in hills of 3-5 seeds, thin to strongest 2-3 seedlings
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic edible flesh, seeds, and flowers. Cucurbitacin in ornamental/bitter varieties can cause illness
Common issues
- Powdery mildew on leaves
- Squash vine borer larvae in stems
- Poor fruit set from inadequate pollination
💡 Care tips
- Needs 100+ square feet of space per plant for vines to spread
- HARVEST when skin is hard and resists puncture from a fingernail
- Cut stem with several inches intact for longer storage
- Save seeds from carving for roasting or planting next year
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 3 days, fertilizing every 30 days.
