When to plant pumpkins in Pretoria: from 24 August

In Pretoria, pumpkin: sow for seedlings from 22 June; plant into a greenhouse from 3 August; plant out into open ground from 24 August. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window.

Pumpkin in Pretoria: soil, season and weather

In Pretoria the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 23 July, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the pumpkin card — only around 24 August, 32 days later. Pretoria has no autumn frost in the median year, so frost does not end the season.

Last spring frost	23 July
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	24 August, 32 days after the last frost
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	75
First harvest, if planted in this window	from 7 November
Daylight	10:39 on 13 July, 11:24 on 24 August
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, August, has 1 rainy day

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

Pumpkin in Pretoria: care after planting

Planted on 24 August: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

14 September — 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 Pretoria during the pumpkin season

About 359 mm of rain falls in the season; August is the driest month (3 mm) and December the wettest (112 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
August	23	8.1	3	1	11:12
September	27	11.5	13	3	11:55
October	27.8	13.3	44	7	12:40
November	27.6	14.8	87	11	13:22
December	27.5	16.2	112	15	13:44
January	27.9	16.4	100	12	13:34

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Pumpkin in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant pumpkin later than Pretoria; the closest date is in Caxias do Sul, 8 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Johannesburg	52 km	6 September – 8 February	13 days later
Bloemfontein	423 km	14 September – 7 February	21 days later
Curitiba	7,640 km	from 3 September	10 days later
Lages	7,652 km	24 September – 27 February	31 days later
Caxias do Sul	7,683 km	1 September – 20 February	8 days later
Ponta Grossa	7,737 km	4 September – 28 February	11 days later

Where to buy pumpkin plants and seeds near Pretoria

Buy plants ready to set out from 24 August (from 3 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 22 June. Within 15 km of Pretoria OpenStreetMap lists 15 garden centres, 6 plant nurseries and 3 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Phytotron — plant nursery
7 km
Safari — plant nursery
11 km
Tshwane Market — market
3 km · tshwane.gov.za
Marabastad Retail Market — market
2 km

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