When to plant pumpkins in Salem: 6 June – 23 July

In Salem, pumpkin: sow for seedlings from 4 April to 11 June; plant into a greenhouse from 16 May to 23 July; plant out into open ground from 6 June to 23 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Rudy's Garden Shop (garden centre, 1 km) and Terra Gardens (garden centre, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Pumpkin in Salem: soil, season and weather

In Salem the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 27 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the pumpkin card — only around 6 June, 71 days later.

Last spring frost	27 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	6 June, 71 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	17 November, 164 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	75
First harvest, if planted in this window	20 August – 6 October
Days left for picking	89
Daylight	13:57 on 25 April, 15:28 on 6 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 1 rainy day

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

Pumpkin in Salem: care after planting

Planted on 6 June: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

27 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 Salem during the pumpkin season

About 375 mm of rain falls in the season; July is the driest month (6 mm) and November the wettest (162 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	25.3	11.4	42	7	15:35
July	30.3	14.2	6	1	15:17
August	30.9	14.8	9	2	14:07
September	25.9	12.2	47	7	12:35
October	18.1	8	109	11	11:02
November	12	4.8	162	16	9:35

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Pumpkin in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant pumpkin later than Salem; the closest date is in Victoria, 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Portland	70 km	17 June – 28 July	11 days later
Eugene	98 km	19 June – 4 July	13 days later
Olympia	234 km	26 June – 21 July	20 days later
Medford	287 km	19 June – 25 June	13 days later
Seattle	302 km	21 June – 30 July	15 days later
Victoria	389 km	13 June – 26 August	7 days later

Where to buy pumpkin plants and seeds near Salem

Buy plants ready to set out from 6 June to 23 July (from 16 May to 23 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 4 April to 11 June. Within 15 km of Salem OpenStreetMap lists 12 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 3 plant nurseries, 2 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Rootbound Plants & Pots — garden centre
River Road North 5430, 97303 · 10:00–18:00 · 7 km · keizerplantshop.com
Rudy's Garden Shop — garden centre
State Street 1288 · Wed–Sat 10:00–18:00; Sun 10:00–15:00 · 1 km · rudysgardenshop.com
Terra Gardens — garden centre
Cordon Road Northeast 270, 97317 Salem · 7 km · terragardens.net
Guentner's Gardens — garden centre
Commercial Street Southeast 5780, 97301 Salem · Mar–Sept Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00; Mar–Sept Sun 09:00–16:00; Oct–Feb "Varies" · 8 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.

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