---
title: Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin
created: 2026-05-24
updated: 2026-05-25
type: entity
tags: [fruiting-vegetables, heirloom, open-pollinated, chicken-friendly, goat-friendly]
sources: [raw/articles/seedvault-home-page.md]
---

# Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin

## Overview
Classic carving pumpkin with thick skin, 8-15 lbs. Also makes great pie. Ready in ~100 days.

- **Category:** Fruiting Vegetables
- **Price:** $3.12
- **Variety Type:** Open-pollinated

## Growing Instructions

### Sowing
Start indoors 1 month before last frost in peat pots (poor transplanters). 2 seeds per pot, clip weaker. Harden 1 week before. Plant at 60°F soil in very rich soil (pH 6.0-7.0), 8-10' apart in rows 10-12' apart. Companion: corn.

### Germination
7-10 days at 70-85°F

### Care
Protect from frost. Keep soil moist, avoid wet leaves. Mulch when vines develop. Midsummer: pinch off blooms to focus energy on pumpkins.

### Harvest
90-110 days. Pick when fully orange and rind is hard.

## Soil & Conditions
- **pH:** 6.0-6.8, warm, well-drained, rich compost. Heavy feeder.

## Seed Storage
- **Viability:** 4-5 years cool/dry. Store below 40°F.
- **Pre-treatment:** Soak seeds overnight before planting. Warm soil 60°F+ critical.

## Yield
- **Per Plant:** 2-4 pumpkins per plant (10-40 lbs each)
- **Harvest Season:** Late summer through fall
- **Note:** Allow 10x10 ft spacing for full-sized pumpkins
Scrape seeds from ripe pumpkin, ferment 3 days, rinse, dry on paper 1-2 weeks. Crosses with squash — isolate or hand-pollinate. Store flat in paper envelope.

## Pest & Disease
Squash vine borer, pumpkin beetles, powdery mildew, aphids, deer/raccoon. Use row covers early, remove for pollination.

## Harvest & Preservation
Pick when rind hard (can't puncture with thumbnail), stem dried. Store cool, dry place 2-3 months. Roast seeds, carve, or make puree.

## Companion Planting

### Good Companions
- **[[yellow-dent-corn]]** — Three Sisters method — corn provides structure

### Part of: Three Sisters
- See [[companion-planting]] for full combination details

## Related
- [[seedvault-market]]
- [[grow-guides]]
- [[seed-catalog]]