I have been soo busy lately I completely forgot to plant pumpkin seeds for Halloween!! Yikes!
I live in central Illinois. Does anyone know if I could still try to grow them in time for Halloween use?
Thanks in advance!
A
- TheWaterbug
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- rainbowgardener
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Yes, too late to plant pumkin seeds for Halloween. Jack o Lantern type pumpkins usually have a days to maturity of 100 - 120 days (and I think that is from when the seed sprouts). That puts it well in to November. If you don't mind having the little miniature pumpkins, they go a bit faster. Or as noted above, look for well started plants in a nursery.
- gixxerific
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- TheWaterbug
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Googling for "first frost Central Illinois" [url=https://www.isws.illinois.edu/hilites/press/firstfallfrost100101.asp]returns this map[/url], with an "October 14" line squiggling across the middle, which is 76 days from today.
But then the article notes that the first frost date has been as recorded as much as 3 weeks earlier or later than that average date over a 30 year period.
So if you were to find a 3-week old plant at a nursery of a 90 day variety, you'd have better than a 50/50 chance of making it, and somewhat less than that of a 100 day variety.
Give it a shot! The worst possible outcome is that you harvest a green pumpkin in early October
But then the article notes that the first frost date has been as recorded as much as 3 weeks earlier or later than that average date over a 30 year period.
So if you were to find a 3-week old plant at a nursery of a 90 day variety, you'd have better than a 50/50 chance of making it, and somewhat less than that of a 100 day variety.
Give it a shot! The worst possible outcome is that you harvest a green pumpkin in early October