GreenlyWhen to plant pumpkins in Tauranga: from 4 December
In Tauranga, pumpkin: sow for seedlings from 2 October; plant into a greenhouse from 13 November; plant out into open ground from 4 December. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Palmers (garden centre, 5 km) and Black Stump Berries (farm shop, 14 km); addresses and opening hours are below.
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Pumpkin in Tauranga: soil, season and weather
In Tauranga the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 18 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the pumpkin card — only around 4 December, 108 days later. Tauranga has no autumn frost in the median year, so frost does not end the season.
| Last spring frost | 18 August |
|---|---|
| Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C | 4 December, 108 days after the last frost |
| Days in the bed to the first harvest (card) | 75 |
| First harvest, if planted in this window | from 17 February |
| Daylight | 13:20 on 23 October, 14:37 on 4 December |
| Watering outdoors when fruiting (card) | every 5 days; the driest month, May, has 10 rainy days |
The same dates in Tauranga hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini and Watermelon.
Pumpkin in Tauranga: care after planting
Planted on 4 December: in the first weeks water every 4 days.
Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:
- 25 December — feed: nitrogen
Pests and diseases of pumpkin to watch for:
- Bacterial wilt of cucurbits
- Squash bug
- Cucumber beetles
- Blossom-end rot
- Leaf Curl Virus
- Verticillium wilt
Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.
Weather in Tauranga during the pumpkin season
About 864 mm of rain falls in the season; May is the driest month (133 mm) and April the wettest (161 mm).
| Month | Day, °C | Night, °C | Rain, mm | Rainy days | Daylight on the 15th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 22.1 | 14 | 142 | 16 | 14:45 |
| January | 23.5 | 15.1 | 141 | 13 | 14:29 |
| February | 23.2 | 15.5 | 153 | 14 | 13:30 |
| March | 21.6 | 13.6 | 134 | 11 | 12:22 |
| April | 19.2 | 11.9 | 161 | 12 | 11:08 |
| May | 16.6 | 9.6 | 133 | 10 | 10:07 |
ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo
Pumpkin in nearby cities
Around Tauranga, Napier is 31 days earlier and Wellington 13 days later.
| City | Distance | Date | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotorua | 51 km | 10 December – 29 January | 6 days later |
| Hamilton (New Zealand) | 79 km | 3 December – 18 February | 1 day earlier |
| Gisborne | 194 km | from 7 November | 27 days earlier |
| Napier | 210 km | from 3 November | 31 days earlier |
| Palmerston North | 301 km | 4 December – 24 February | same day |
| Wellington | 418 km | from 17 December | 13 days later |
Where to buy pumpkin plants and seeds near Tauranga
Buy plants ready to set out from 4 December (from 13 November for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 2 October. Within 15 km of Tauranga OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).
- Palmers — garden centre
Mon–Sun 08:30–17:00 · 5 km - Black Stump Berries — farm shop
Te Puke Highway 529B · 14 km - Waipu Gardens Landscape Nursery — garden centre
2 km - Decor Garden World — garden centre
5 km
Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
- How to grow pumpkin
- All frost dates and weather of Tauranga
- Shops and markets: Tauranga
- Selling a surplus in New Zealand
- Moon planting calendar for November 2026
- How we calculate the dates
Questions
When to plant pumpkins in Tauranga?
In Tauranga, pumpkin: sow for seedlings from 2 October; plant into a greenhouse from 13 November; plant out into open ground from 4 December. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window.
When to sow pumpkins for seedlings in Tauranga?
Sow for seedlings from 2 October.
