When to plant pumpkins in New Orleans: 23 February – 20 August

In New Orleans, pumpkin: sow for seedlings from 22 December to 9 July; plant into a greenhouse from 2 February to 20 August; plant out into open ground from 23 February to 20 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Urban Roots Garden Center (garden centre, 3 km) and Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 9 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Pumpkin in New Orleans: soil, season and weather

In New Orleans the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 22 January, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the pumpkin card — only around 23 February, 32 days later.

Last spring frost	22 January
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	23 February, 32 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	15 December, 295 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	75
First harvest, if planted in this window	9 May – 3 November
Days left for picking	220
Daylight	10:22 on 12 January, 11:22 on 23 February
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

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

Pumpkin in New Orleans: care after planting

Planted on 23 February: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

16 March — 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 New Orleans during the pumpkin season

About 1646 mm of rain falls in the season; November is the driest month (79 mm) and August the wettest (230 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
February	20.2	11.8	118	12	11:08
March	22.7	14.6	130	12	11:57
April	25.1	17	110	12	12:53
May	28.6	21.1	155	14	13:39
June	30.8	24.1	208	19	14:04
July	31.2	25.1	226	23	13:54
August	31.2	25.4	230	21	13:15
September	29.8	23.5	150	15	12:22
October	26.4	19.2	102	9	11:29
November	21.5	13.9	79	8	10:40
December	18.6	11.1	138	11	10:14

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Pumpkin in nearby cities

1 of the nearest cities share New Orleans's date.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Gulfport	108 km	25 February – 30 July	2 days later
Baton Rouge	119 km	3 March – 14 August	8 days later
Lafayette	189 km	1 March – 11 August	6 days later
Mobile	206 km	24 February – 20 August	1 day later
Jackson	261 km	16 March – 3 August	21 days later
Pensacola	280 km	23 February – 24 August	same day

Where to buy pumpkin plants and seeds near New Orleans

Buy plants ready to set out from 23 February to 20 August (from 2 February to 20 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 22 December to 9 July. Within 15 km of New Orleans OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 3 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Mask Market — market
2 km
French Market — market
2 km
Urban Roots Garden Center — garden centre
Tchoupitoulas Street 2375, 70130 New Orleans · Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun 11:00–17:00 · 3 km · urbanrootsnola.com
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
West Judge Perez Drive 8101, 70043 Chalmette · Mon–Sun 06:00–22:00 · 9 km · walmart.com

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