Start with the harvest
Choose a date by what you want the pumpkin for
The general range works when harvest timing is flexible. An early-October goal has a narrower answer.
General Georgia range
May 15 – July 1
Use when the harvest date is flexible and the cultivar can finish inside your local warm season.Early October harvest
Mid- to late June
UGA’s preferred target; the exact week depends on the cultivar.The cultivar changes the week
Work backward before you buy or sow
Wanted harvest date − cultivar days to maturity = first planting estimate
Name the harvest target
A decorative early-October crop needs a different decision than a pumpkin you can harvest whenever it matures.
Read the cultivar maturity
UGA’s article text says 90–120 days, while its cultivar table lists 85–120. Use the number on your seed packet for the cultivar you actually bought.
Work backward, then check the range
Count backward from the wanted harvest and make sure the result still fits May 15–July 1. For early October, UGA already resolves this to mid- to late June.
Leave weather margin
Days to maturity are a planning estimate, not a promise that every plant ripens on that exact day.
Regional limit
There is no supported three-row Georgia pumpkin calendar
UGA’s pumpkin guide does not publish separate North, Middle and South Georgia dates. The page therefore keeps one supported range and asks you to check cultivar maturity, frost-free weather and local conditions instead of inventing three exact calendars.
Before sowing
Check the finish date and the space
Pumpkins need more than a date. The vine and the cultivar must fit the garden plan.
- The site receives full sun and has weed-free, well-drained soil.
- The chosen cultivar can mature before the harvest date or local frost risk.
- Each hill has at least 8 feet of open space on every side; some vines need more.
- You can keep the seedbed lightly and consistently moist while seedlings establish.
Direct-sowing setup
Start each hill, then thin it
Build a low hill
Raise the soil a few inches into a gentle mound to improve drainage.
Sow 1 inch deep
Place four to five seeds in each mound.
Thin after germination
Keep the strongest two to three seedlings in each mound.
Outside the easy answer
Keep the sowing inside the supported range
Before May 15
Outside the supported range
Wait unless your county Extension office confirms a local exception. The crop guide does not publish an earlier statewide date.Mid- to late June
Best match for early October
UGA names this period directly, provided the cultivar has enough time to mature.After July 1