Halloween is just around the corner, and if you've shelled out a pretty penny for your pumpkins, maybe you should grow your own at home.
Pumpkins are a fall staple, but unfortunately, their prices have climbed in recent years.
For the week of Oct. 10-22, 2026, grocery stores advertised pumpkins at $5.36 each, compared with $4.83 each in mid-September 2020. That’s an increase of about 11% based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Extreme heat and drought, both of which hinder flowering and pollination are two major culprits. Additionally, pumpkins are bulky and expensive to transport, especially when diesel costs are through the roof.
“If a farm loses some of their crop and has to bring in pumpkins from another area, then those added costs, with the high price of fuel, get passed on to the customer,” explains Lindsey Chastain, founder of The Waddle and Cluck in Skiatook, OK.
Fortunately, you don’t have to forgo pumpkins altogether just because prices are rising.
Raghela Scavuzzo, associate director of food systems development at the Illinois Farm Bureau, reinforced to ABC News that diesel prices are a major factor in pumpkin prices, so locally grown pumpkins can give you the most bang for your buck.
Growing your own pumpkins at home can be a good way to prepare for next fall’s festivities while saving some money in the process.
Steps to plant and cultivate a pumpkin patch
If you have the space, growing a pumpkin patch can help you avoid rising costs once fall 2027 rolls around. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Pick the right pumpkin variety
First, find the ideal pumpkin variety for your space.
If you have a smaller yard, smaller pie pumpkins or more compact varieties are going to be your best bet. However, if you have a big, open, and sunny yard, you may explore larger varieties.
“You can always reach out to your local university extension for guidance,” Chastain says.
Figure out your planting timeline
It usually takes pumpkins about 85 to 120 days to be ready for harvest. To determine when to plant your pumpkin patch. Chastain suggests counting backward from when you want to harvest.
“Try to plant after the last frost of the season and when the soil is at least around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit so it’s warm enough for the seeds to actually germinate,” advises Chastain.
Pumpkins come in all sizes, but need enough room to grow if done successfully. (Inna Nikitina/Adobe Stock) Choose a prime location
Location is key if you want to plant a successful patch.. The pumpkins are going to need well-draining soil, a pH of about 5.7 to 6.6, and as much sun as possible.
“Make sure the area you go with doesn't get a lot of standing water. Too much water sitting under your pumpkins after rain can cause them to rot on the bottom,” explains Chastain.
Sow your seeds
The pumpkin seeds should be at 1 inch deep or up to your first knuckle in the soil. You can usually plant two to three seeds in the same hole and if they all sprout, keep the strongest ones.
Just make sure your pumpkins have plenty of room.
“If you’re planting a traditional vining pumpkin for Halloween next year, you may need 50 to 100 square feet of space per hill, or planting mound, as the vines spread out considerably. If you have a smaller yard, choose a shorter-vine or bush variety that takes up less space,” Chastain says.
Be mindful about watering
Don’t water over the top of the vines or leaves because any water doing so can potentially burn the foliage.
“You want to make sure that you're watering at soil level. Once the flowering starts and the pumpkins start developing, water deeply as they’ll need a pretty good amount of water,” Chastain explains.
Add pollinator attractors
Ensure you have pollinator attractors around your pumpkin patch to bring the bees in as they’re what can pollinate the flowers and allow those flowers to turn into pumpkins.
“Having a butterfly garden or bee-friendly flowers close to your pumpkin patch will help pull those bees in and work on the pollination,” says Chastain.
Pumpkins can be grown in planters, as wel as directly in the soil, but the latter keeps them away from critters looking for a snack. (Getty Images) Check for pests
As your vines start growing and spreading, there are some pretty big pests that are going to come and try to attack your vines.
“Look for and get rid of squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and powdery mildew at least once a week. Make sure to check the undersides of leaves and down at the base,” explains Chastain.
Squash bugs can tear through a pumpkin patch pretty quickly once they multiply, and powdery mildew can quickly rot the pumpkin.
Harvest at the right time
Don’t harvest pumpkins until they reach their mature color and their rinds are firm enough that you can’t easily puncture them with a fingernail.
“Cut the stem and leave several inches of that stem attached to the pumpkin and always use clean pruners,” says Chastain.