I live in Southern California and I always try planting the seeds from my produce. Sometimes they grow, sometimes they don’t. Does the season make a difference?
Nope, they probably won’t grow. The trick is to throw them in the compost pile and forget about them. Once you’ve totally forgotten, they’ll magically sprout and grow three feet overnight.
What’s that weird lumpy one?
I heard lumps are caused by too much sugar, so it might be a really sweet pumpkin.
There are actually varieties that are bred to have those lumps for decoration. They’re called warty goblin pumpkins.
Same here.
YES! All my best watermelon, cantaloupe, squash, and tomatoes grew wild out of the compost. Meanwhile, everything I actually planted turned out weak and sad.
I feel that.
Or your dog will eat the seeds from the compost and poop them all over your yard. Then you’ll have random 3-foot vines popping up in the most unexpected places.
Dog poop has never been so productive.
This is the way! Meticulously plant and care for seeds: no pumpkins. Toss them in compost, let a possum take some: six pumpkins.
Manifesting this for myself next year 
I’ll take what I can get!
This is exactly how I ended up with my yard full of Galeux d’Eysines look-alike pumpkins. Don’t ask me how.
Yep, same here.
I can confirm, my grandma threw some seeds to the chickens, and the next year we had a 25m² pumpkin jungle.
Or let your kids smash the pumpkins, and then you’ll have seedlings popping up for years.
There’s a lot of different advice here, so let me clear some things up.
Seeds from store-bought pumpkins are usually fertile. They aren’t like certain potatoes that are sprayed with hormones to stop them from growing (and even that might be a myth). Big corporations aren’t out there making sterile pumpkin plants, at least not yet!
Cross-pollination is always a possibility, but if your pumpkin was grown in a big field with similar pumpkins, you should be fine.
If you’re in zone 9b or higher, some sources say you can grow pumpkins through the winter for a spring harvest, but I wouldn’t risk it. Dry the seeds and save them for the next proper planting season. Just leave them on a paper towel for a few days before putting them in an envelope—no need for complicated seed-saving methods. Pumpkins don’t need us to thrive!
Pumpkin vines take up a LOT of space. I grow two vines a year and get about 10-20 pumpkins, averaging 15 pounds each, with a few bigger ones. I save a few seeds from each season and roast the rest.
I usually germinate them in red solo cups in April/May and almost always get 100% germination. I transplant the strongest ones and cull the rest. Guides will say not to transplant, but they’re wrong! Transplanting works perfectly.
Pumpkin vines need a ton of water. Growing them probably costs me more than buying pumpkins, but I do it for fun, not to save money. Roast most of your seeds and plant a few if you’re doing it for the fun of it!
As someone who brews beer at home, I can appreciate you pointing out that you’re growing pumpkins at a loss.
Growing pumpkins is so rewarding! You plant a tiny seed and end up with a huge harvest. It’s much more satisfying than growing strawberries.
> I almost always get 100% germination.
What’s your secret? How much dirt do you put in the solo cups? Do you keep them somewhere sunny? And do you soak the seeds first? I struggle to get my seeds to sprout every year.