When to plant pumpkins in Sacramento: 24 April – 16 August

In Sacramento, pumpkin: sow for seedlings from 20 February to 5 July; plant into a greenhouse from 3 April to 16 August; plant out into open ground from 24 April to 16 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Hydro City (garden centre, 13 km) and Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 13 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Pumpkin in Sacramento: soil, season and weather

In Sacramento the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 18 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the pumpkin card — only around 24 April, 65 days later.

Last spring frost	18 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	24 April, 65 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	11 December, 231 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	75
First harvest, if planted in this window	8 July – 30 October
Days left for picking	156
Daylight	11:49 on 13 March, 13:32 on 24 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 0 rainy days

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

Pumpkin in Sacramento: care after planting

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

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

15 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 Sacramento during the pumpkin season

About 305 mm of rain falls in the season; July is the driest month (0 mm) and December the wettest (126 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	23.5	9.4	33	5	13:11
May	28.6	12.4	18	3	14:15
June	33.6	15.1	3	0	14:51
July	35.9	15.9	0	0	14:37
August	35.5	16.4	1	0	13:42
September	33	15.5	12	2	12:29
October	26.9	12	46	4	11:15
November	18.5	7.2	66	7	10:06
December	13.6	4.8	126	10	9:30

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Pumpkin in nearby cities

Around Sacramento, Fresno is 14 days earlier and Carson City 19 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Stockton	71 km	24 April – 8 August	same day
San Jose	142 km	from 25 April	1 day later
Carson City	162 km	13 May – 27 June	19 days later
Reno	179 km	29 April – 3 July	5 days later
Redding	236 km	28 April – 16 August	4 days later
Fresno	254 km	10 April – 10 August	14 days earlier

Where to buy pumpkin plants and seeds near Sacramento

Buy plants ready to set out from 24 April to 16 August (from 3 April to 16 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 20 February to 5 July. Within 15 km of Sacramento OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery, 8 markets and 7 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Marconi's River Park Market — market
5 km
The Well — market
15 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
Delta Shores Circle South 8270, 95832 Sacramento · 13 km · walmart.com
Hydro City — garden centre
Stockton Boulevard 7660, 95823 Sacramento · 13 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