Crop timing
When to plant pumpkins and squash in the UK
The short answer, on 27 October
It is harvest, not planting, time. Pick before the first frost: the RHS says frosted pumpkins won't store. When the bed is clear, see what can go in next.
Pumpkins and winter squash are tender and need a long, warm season. Both ends matter: they can't go out until frost has passed, and they should be picked before the first autumn frost.
The pumpkin year at a glance
From Vercro's crop catalogue, a national UK calendar in whole months. The underlined month is this one. Where you live moves these edges by a few weeks either way.
| Window | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin: sow indoorsApril to May | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Pumpkin: sow outsideMay to June | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Pumpkin: plant outMay to June | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Pumpkin: harvestSeptember to November | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: no |
| Squash: sow indoorsApril to May | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Squash: plant outMay to June | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Squash: harvestAugust to October | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: yes | September: yes | October: yes | November: no | December: no |
Growing time in the catalogue: 100 to 130 days from sowing. Family: Cucurbitaceae.
Your dates
Add your postcode for your area's usual frost dates, and what they mean for pumpkin.
Want every crop at once, or a greenhouse? Open the full sowing tool.
How late frosts run across the UK
Both ends of the season: average days of air frost in May and June (going out) and September to November (coming in), 1996 to 2025. The frost-free gap is shortest inland and in the north.
| Station | May | Jun | Sep | Oct | Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camborne87 m above sea level | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 |
| Heathrow25 m above sea level | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 2.5 |
| Yeovilton20 m above sea level | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 | 5.6 |
| Sutton Bonington48 m above sea level | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 4.3 |
| Durham102 m above sea level | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 4.3 |
| Leuchars10 m above sea level | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 6.2 |
What changes the answer
Length of your season
The gap between the last spring frost and the first autumn one is what ripens the fruit. See the table above.Indoors or outside
Indoor sowing in April gains a few weeks over sowing outside in late May.Warmth after planting
Cold nights after planting out stall growth. Harden plants off and wait for settled weather.Variety
Varieties differ in how long they take to ripen. Check the days on the packet against the gap between your frosts.
Where the sources differ
Vercro's catalogue and published advice, side by side
Broad agreement on sowing and planting out. Vercro's catalogue lets pumpkin sowing start in March; the RHS says mid to late April. The catalogue has no outdoor direct sowing; the RHS sows outside in late May or early June.
The catalogue's pumpkin harvest runs to November. The RHS says to harvest before the first frost, which in much of the UK is before November.
Common timing mistakes
Sowing in March
Plants outgrow their pots weeks before it is safe to plant out.Planting out too early
One frost kills a pumpkin plant.Leaving fruit out in a frost
Frosted pumpkins won’t store (RHS). Bring them in before the first frost.Skipping hardening off
The RHS plants out after hardening off. Plants moved straight outside stall.
How Vercro handles this in a real garden
Vercro records each pumpkin and squash planting on its bed. Today uses your postcode's forecast and how far along each plant is to show the jobs that matter each morning.
Frequently asked questions
Keep going
Where this comes from
Crop windows, growing times and plant families come from Vercro's own curated crop catalogue, the same data the Vercro app uses. Where a published source says something different, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
- Pumpkins: grow your own, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Squash: grow your own, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Historic station data (monthly air frost days, 1996 to 2025), Met Office, Open Government Licence v3.0. Read 19 September 2026.
Keep your squash patch in view
Add where your pumpkins and squash are growing. Today shows the jobs that matter each morning, with a reason for each.