When to plant pumpkins in Knoxville: 4 May – 18 July

In Knoxville, pumpkin: sow for seedlings from 2 March to 6 June; plant into a greenhouse from 13 April to 18 July; plant out into open ground from 4 May to 18 July.

Pumpkin in Knoxville: soil, season and weather

In Knoxville the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 29 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the pumpkin card — only around 4 May, 36 days later.

Last spring frost	29 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	4 May, 36 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	12 November, 192 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	75
First harvest, if planted in this window	18 July – 1 October
Days left for picking	117
Daylight	12:14 on 23 March, 13:44 on 4 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

The same dates in Knoxville hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini and Watermelon.

Pumpkin in Knoxville: care after planting

Planted on 4 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

25 May — feed: nitrogen

Pests and diseases of pumpkin to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Weather in Knoxville during the pumpkin season

About 644 mm of rain falls in the season; November is the driest month (77 mm) and May the wettest (115 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	25.3	14.5	115	13	14:03
June	29.6	18.6	82	12	14:35
July	31.6	21.3	87	14	14:23
August	30.2	20.1	111	14	13:33
September	28.3	17.5	85	9	12:27
October	22.7	11.3	87	7	11:19
November	15.7	5.1	77	8	10:17

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Pumpkin in nearby cities

Around Knoxville, Atlanta is 21 days earlier and Asheville 20 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Asheville	130 km	24 May – 8 July	20 days later
Chattanooga	156 km	27 April – 18 July	7 days earlier
Greenville	184 km	23 April – 28 July	11 days earlier
Athens (United States)	229 km	17 April – 28 July	17 days earlier
Lexington	231 km	15 May – 13 July	11 days later
Atlanta	249 km	13 April – 28 July	21 days earlier

Where to buy pumpkin plants and seeds near Knoxville

Buy plants ready to set out from 4 May to 18 July (from 13 April to 18 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 2 March to 6 June. Within 15 km of Knoxville OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 5 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Tienda La Pequeñita Mexican Store — market
Western Avenue 5608, 37921 Knoxville · 9 km
Freedom Health CBD — market
Western Avenue 5606, 37921 Knoxville · 9 km
Ewing Outdoor Supply — garden centre
3 km
Living Earth — garden centre
3 km

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

Questions