When to Plant Pumpkins in California

For pumpkins in California, spring planting starts between Mar 1 (Imperial County) and May 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.

Photo: Green pumpkins growing beneath thick vines and broad leaves in a farm field. USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

GearSeed starting gear Raised bed gear Garden tools

Your county's dates for pumpkins

County

Dates follow the region the county is assigned to here, from the four regions in the UC table.

Raised beds and a hoop house at a community garden in Los Angeles County

Published dates for pumpkins in California

Type	Season	Region	Published dates	Source
Pumpkins	spring	Desert Valleys	March-June	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Pumpkins	spring	Interior Valleys	April-June	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Pumpkins	spring	North & North Coast	May	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)
Pumpkins	spring	South Coast	May-June	California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2)

Planting dates for pumpkins by California county

County	Spring	Summer and fall
Alameda	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Alpine	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Amador	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Butte	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Calaveras	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Colusa	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Contra Costa	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Del Norte	May 1 to May 31	n/a
El Dorado	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Fresno	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Glenn	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Humboldt	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Imperial	Mar 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Inyo	Mar 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Kern	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Kings	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Lake	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Lassen	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Los Angeles	May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Madera	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Marin	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Mariposa	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Mendocino	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Merced	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Modoc	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Mono	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Monterey	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Napa	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Nevada	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Orange	May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Placer	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Plumas	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Riverside	Mar 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Sacramento	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Benito	May 1 to May 31	n/a
San Bernardino	Mar 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Diego	May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Francisco	May 1 to May 31	n/a
San Joaquin	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Luis Obispo	May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
San Mateo	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Santa Barbara	May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Santa Clara	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Santa Cruz	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Shasta	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Sierra	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Siskiyou	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Solano	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Sonoma	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Stanislaus	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Sutter	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Tehama	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Trinity	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Tulare	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Tuolumne	May 1 to May 31	n/a
Ventura	May 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Yolo	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a
Yuba	Apr 1 to Jun 30	n/a

When to plant other crops in California

Tomatoes
Peppers
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Green Beans
Lima Beans
Peas
Cucumbers
Squash
Winter Squash
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Okra
Eggplant
Lettuce
Spinach
Kale
Mustard Greens
Turnips
Swiss Chard
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Kohlrabi
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Asparagus
Rutabagas
Parsley

More planting dates for California

Planting dates for each crop in California, from the UC Master Gardener Program calendar.

Tomatoes

Peppers

Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Green Beans

Cucumbers

Squash

Lettuce

Planting pumpkins in California: questions

When do you plant pumpkins in California?

For pumpkins in California, spring planting starts between Mar 1 (Imperial County) and May 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.

Can I plant pumpkins in the fall in California?

The UC Master Gardener Program calendar used here lists no fall window for pumpkins.

What frost date should I use for pumpkins?

Cold nights after planting can damage young plants. The California frost dates page shows how late frost runs in your county.

Where do these dates for pumpkins come from?

California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2 Time of planting (UC Master Gardener Program statewide page; table 'Recommended planting dates', source: California Master Gardener Handbook, Table 13.2).

Why might my county's dates differ?

Each county uses the dates for its region: North and North Coast, South Coast, Interior Valleys or Desert Valleys.

Harvested pumpkins and squash in a garden

Photos: Green pumpkins growing beneath thick vines and broad leaves in a farm field: USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Harvested pumpkins and squash in a garden: Lolailand, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Raised beds and a hoop house at a community garden in Los Angeles County: USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Tomato plant with fruit in a garden: MavisLee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pepper plant in a kitchen garden loaded with green, yellow and red peppers: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Long neat rows of green potato plants stretching across a farm field: Malcolm Neal, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Rows of sweet corn in a field: Wee Hong, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Clusters of long green bean pods hanging from a climbing bean vine: Nirajan_pant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Cucumber vines climbing a wooden trellis in a kitchen garden: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Zucchini fruit on the plant: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Young lettuce plant in garden soil: GT1976, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.