I've always wanted to grow my own pumpkins. I mean...how magical would it be to walk out your back door on October 1 and see a patch of these giant orange globes just waiting to be used for Halloween decorating?
When you’re done reading this post, check out the update on how my patch is doing!
But I have two MAJOR problems with being able to accomplish this:
- I live in the city with zero outdoor space. Seriously: zero, zilch, nada as in I don’t even have a patio or porch at my apartment. (I’m missing that more and more every year…)
- This is the biggie: I have a black thumb. Yup, I’m a plant killer. I’m getting better, but I’m still the girl who killed an aloe plant. An. Aloe. Plant.
So what’s a spooky little girl to do? Borrow her parent’s backyard (and Halloween party space!) and try it anyway, of course!
This past weekend my dad and I planted my little pumpkin patch, and I’ll be honest…I’m not sure how this experiment is going to go. I’m fully expecting it to end with dead plants and me having wasted around $5 on seeds at my local hardware store because again…black thumb.
But maybe these little seeds will surprise me!
Here’s a peek inside the planting process:

Let’s plant a backyard pumpkin patch!



I picked up three varieties to give a try – all shown to grow in Texas from March – October. I picked early sweet sugar pie, jack-o-lantern and big max pumpkin seeds. Burpee happened to be the brand I kept running into everywhere.

My pumpkin patch space! I worry it won’t be sunny enough, but we’ll see what happens.

Making small hills to plant my seeds in for better drainage.

All ready for planting.

Fact: it helps if you’re a Halloween blogger and whisper a few encouraging words to your pumpkin seeds before planting…so they understand blog posts are depending on them.

Making holes of my seeds.





Photo evidence so I don’t forget what was planted where.

It might not be traditional, but I think it looks pretty sincere.

Drink up, boys! Here’s hoping I have some sprouts in the next two weeks.

Stay tuned to spookylittlehalloween.com for progress! I’ll be checking in over the next few months to let you know how this spooky little experiment goes. Here’s hoping my black thumb is just the thing these orange beauties need for Halloween! (See what I did there?)
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Do you grow pumpkins?
I’d love to hear your best tips for this novice! Leave ’em in the comments.
Happy haunting,



Sam @ The Haunted Housewife
I would KILL for a pumpkin patch! I let my dog carve pumpkins though so I don’t think he’d even let them grow lol. I almost ended up with a pumpkin patch in my front yard from 2015’s outdoor doggie pumpkin carving. But, I think it was mowed over :(
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
I’m definitely going to need some photos or video of your dog carving pumpkins this year. :) How fun!
Jen Spookybones
How fun! I’m jealous! I would love to grow my own pumpkin patch but I have the exact same issues too. Maybe I can convince my mother in law to grow some pumpkins in her garden haha.
I look forward to seeing the progress! I’m sure your pumpkin patch will do great for you will have the magic of Halloween on your side!
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Go for it!! Haha – we’ll see how well mine do. I’m hoping they’ll be a fun addition to Halloweenie Roast.
Ali
Good luck with the patch! My late dad used to grown pumpkins every year and it was fun to choose the one we wanted for Halloween. I’m growing sunflowers this year and hope they do well.
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
How fun! If you have any tips you remember from your dad growing pumpkins, I would love to hear them. I hope your sunflowers grow beautifully!
Tessa R
Found your blog through a google search…my son has been asking to plant pumpkin seeds for almost two years and I finally picked up the same Burpee packet for the jack o lantern variety. I haven’t planted them yet as I’m still researching the entire thing. I’d love to know how yours are doing now. Cute little blog, my sons favorite thing is Halloween and anything spooky! :)
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Hey there, Tessa! Welcome to Spooky Little Halloween. My pumpkin patch is doing awesome – I’ll be posting an update this coming Tuesday, so be sure to follow me on social media so you see the link when the post goes up.
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
Hey Tessa – just wanted you to know my latest update is live! Check it out here: https://spookylittlehalloween.com/2017/05/30/pumpkin-patch-update/.