When to plant pumpkins in Messina: from 21 May

In Messina, pumpkin: sow for seedlings from 19 March; plant into a greenhouse from 30 April; plant out into open ground from 21 May. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window.

Pumpkin in Messina: soil, season and weather

In Messina the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 25 January, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the pumpkin card — only around 21 May, 116 days later. Messina has no autumn frost in the median year, so frost does not end the season.

Last spring frost	25 January
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	21 May, 116 days after the last frost
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	75
First harvest, if planted in this window	from 4 August
Daylight	12:56 on 9 April, 14:23 on 21 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 5 rainy days

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

Pumpkin in Messina: care after planting

Planted on 21 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

11 June — 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 Messina during the pumpkin season

About 341 mm of rain falls in the season; July is the driest month (26 mm) and September the wettest (84 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	21.1	14	72	10	14:14
June	26.5	18.6	40	6	14:48
July	29.3	21.5	26	5	14:35
August	29.1	21.9	41	7	13:40
September	25.9	19.4	84	12	12:28
October	22	16.1	78	12	11:15

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Pumpkin in nearby cities

Around Messina, Catania is 26 days earlier and Potenza 24 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Reggio Calabria	12 km	24 May – 24 August	3 days later
Catania	87 km	from 25 April	26 days earlier
Cosenza	138 km	3 June – 5 August	13 days later
Palermo	192 km	28 May – 28 August	7 days later
Potenza	273 km	14 June – 31 July	24 days later
Salerno	284 km	7 June – 16 August	17 days later

Where to buy pumpkin plants and seeds near Messina

Buy plants ready to set out from 21 May (from 30 April for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 19 March. Within 15 km of Messina OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres, 3 plant nurseries and 7 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Mercato Zaera — market
1 km
Mercato Vascone — market
2 km
Mercato Ortofrutticolo — market
4 km
Piazza del Popolo — market
12 km

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