Growing Mini Pumpkins Indoors?

[JennaNiccole]

With pumpkins being everywhere for Halloween time I've been interested in growing mini pumpkins, or Jack Be Littles, but I've only ever grown herbs and succulents before and know nothing about mini pumpkins. If I start them now or soon (mid-October) would they still grow okay indoors, and how long would it take before I had pumpkins? Also, would you think the seeds I can harvest from mini pumpkins I bought would be sufficient to grow, or should I find packaged seeds? Thank you!

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum

Even mini pumpkins grow on vines some small ones on long vines, and some on short vines, which are still 5-6 feet long! And as a rule, they are long season plants - 90-120 days from planting. Too long for me to wait for indoor plants to produce. That's why I stick with herbs and quick greens for indoors.

[theforgottenone1013]

They're huge plants and not something to grow indoors. Not sure where you are but here in SE Michigan I plant mine outside from about mid May to mid to late June. Any later and the pumpkins might not be ready for harvest before frost.

And yes, you can use the seeds from mini pumpkins you buy. Just scoop them out, get the pumpkin guts off, and dry them. They'll last for several years if kept dry and relatively cool.

-Rodney

[jal_ut]

As others noted, yes, pumpkins grow on large vines. Plant them outdoors in the ground, no pots, in early May. Pumpkin roots go to 4 feet deep and spread as wide as the vine grows. So the roots need space too.

https://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/upl ... 7ch33.html

[applestar]

I've tried growing Littleleaf cucumber which has mini leaves not bigger than a child's hand and short vines -- indoors during the colder months of fall, intending to grow to maturity during the winter if possible to go along with my Winter Indoor Tomatoes... And failed both times.

First time, I brought a container with three plants growing and fruiting -- inside before fall temps got too cold. Two problems -- they stopped growing soon after being brought inside, and after harvesting one or two cukes, the remaining four or so immature to nearly ready to harvest fruits were infested by Pickleworms -- a pest that is nor normally an issue in the outside garden here. (I had to ask for it to be ID'ed on the forum).

I decided that I didn't provide sufficient supplemental light first time, so second time, I put seedling plants that were started indoors to protect from pests under brightest light set up I have. Even so, once they started to vine, they struggled and never set fruit... And once the indoor temp fell below mid-60's during the night due to thermostat energy save setting and I couldn't raise the daytime temp much above the 70's even inside an indoor greenhouse shelf, they deteriorated.

I think compared to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash need even more sun and nutrients and probably more heat, too... Not to mention growing space.

[jal_ut]

Pumpkins and squash freely cross with other varieties. They are worked by the bees and the bees visit all the flowers. When you save your own seeds from these type plants, you never know what you will get, but it will likely be a hybrid and not look like the fruit you took the seeds from. I will grow one of these saved seeds now and then for a kick, but I always buy my seed for the main crop at the local seed store.

[ButterflyLady29]

In a heated greenhouse or conservatory with lots of supplemental light it might work. But you would have to hand pollinate the flowers. Pumpkins need long daylight hours in order to grow well and lots of heat in order to flower and set fruit. The seeds can be started indoors a couple weeks before planting outdoors (maybe a month before if you have enough light and large enough containers) but then only because young plants don't need to be kept as warm as fruiting plants.