Growing in Merredin

Best time to plant pumpkin in Merredin

Cucurbita pepo

Also called Winter squash

Sow pumpkin in Merredin in Oct to Jan.

Pumpkin is the everyday Australian name for hard-skinned squashes of the genus Cucurbita, called winter squash elsewhere. Types range from round grey or blue fruit to orange and tan ones, Queensland Blue among them. The thick shell protects sweet, dense flesh for storing, and the seeds can be eaten too.

When to sow in Merredin

Merredin, WA is in the arid zone. The zone also plants in Feb to Mar, Aug to Sep, but Merredin's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.

Matches local guides.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Merredin

Frost usually arrives in Merredin around early June and finishes by mid September. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late May or as late as early October, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: needs a lot of room

Vines can run several metres. Train them back into your plot or up a strong frame.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly or raise seedlings
Sowing depth
2.5cm
Plant spacing
90cm
Row spacing
185cm
Germination
About 12 days
Time to harvest
100 days
Frost
Frost tender
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
annual

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Pumpkin elsewhere

Pumpkin across Australia