When to plant winter squash & pumpkins
Winter Squash & Pumpkins are frost-tender: plant them out only after your last spring frost. Count back from your first fall frost: most varieties need 90–110 frost-free days.
- Start seeds indoors 3–4 weeks before the last spring frost.
- Sow seeds outdoors 1–3 weeks after the last spring frost.
About 100 days from planting to harvest.
Get exact dates for your garden
Planting dates by hardiness zone
| Zone | Typical last frost | Start indoors | Sow outdoors | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2a | May 24 | Apr 26 – May 3 | May 31 – Jun 14 | — |
| 3b | May 17 | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 24 – Jun 7 | — |
| 4a | May 12 | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | — |
| 4b | May 8 | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 15 – May 29 | — |
| 5a | May 3 | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 10 – May 24 | — |
| 5b | May 1 | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | — |
| 6a | Apr 29 | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | May 6 – May 20 | — |
| 6b | Apr 22 | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | — |
| 7a | Apr 16 | Mar 19 – Mar 26 | Apr 23 – May 7 | — |
| 7b | Apr 5 | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | — |
| 8a | Mar 29 | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | — |
| 8b | Mar 16 | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | — |
| 9a | Mar 3 | Feb 3 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | — |
| 9b | Feb 20 | Jan 23 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | — |
| 10a | Mar 2 | Feb 2 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | — |
Zone rows use the median frost dates of all ZIP codes in that zone. Zones measure winter cold, not season length, so two places in the same zone can have frost dates weeks apart — use your ZIP code for real dates.
When to plant winter squash & pumpkins in major cities
| City | Median last frost | Start indoors | Sow outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Mar 13 | Feb 13 – Feb 20 | Mar 20 – Apr 3 |
| Portland, OR | Feb 25 | Jan 28 – Feb 4 | Mar 4 – Mar 18 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 25 | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | May 2 – May 16 |
| Denver, CO | Apr 30 | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | May 7 – May 21 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 23 | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 14 |
| Chicago, IL | Apr 10 | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 27 | Mar 30 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 18 |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 20 | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 11 |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 |
| New York, NY | Mar 30 | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Mar 30 | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 |
| Washington, DC | Mar 29 | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 |
| Charlotte, NC | Mar 30 | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 |
| Nashville, TN | Apr 1 | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 25 | Feb 25 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 |
| Dallas, TX | Mar 2 | Feb 2 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 |
Growing winter squash & pumpkins: quick facts
| Frost tolerance | Very tender: damaged by frost and stalled by cold; plant once nights stay above 50°F |
|---|---|
| Soil temperature | at least 60°F to germinate; 70–95°F is ideal |
| Planting depth | 1 in |
| Spacing | 36–60 in |
| Germination | 4–10 days |
| Days to harvest | about 100 days from planting |
Typical figures from university extension planting guides. Seed packets give the best numbers for a specific variety.