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It’s pumpkin patch season, ghouls! Have you planted yours yet? If not, be sure to check out my tips for growing pumpkins to make the most of this season.
Fresh off my trip to Sleepy Hollow, I planted my pumpkin patch the weekend after I got home. If you remember from last year’s experiment, my parents are kind enough to allow me to grow pumpkins in their backyard since I have zero outdoor space at the Spooky Little Apartment.
And this year…I think my dad is taking it more seriously than me. I mean, we have a freakin’ raised bed for the pumpkins!

I know they’ll outgrow this as they spread out this year, but I think it’s a fun starting spot.
Last year, we were plagued with newbie mistakes…like planting in an area that didn’t get enough sunlight, not watering at the right time of day and, the nail in the coffin, not paying close enough attention to the patch in the Texas heat. RIP 2017 pumpkin patch.
Here’s hoping for a better outcome in 2018!
This year we’ve moved the patch to the sunniest area of the yard. My dad did some work on the soil before we planted to ensure it had lots of nutrients, and a little more than two weeks in, my pumpkin babies are already growing like weeds!

Again, that photo is from barely two weeks in – eek! Keep an eye on my Instagram story feed for more updates. Until then…
Here is how we planted my 2018 pumpkin patch:
Sometimes I’m the one with the crazy Halloween project ideas. Other times, I’m just along for the ride. This time was the latter – my dad decided we needed a raised bed to get my pumpkin patch started, so we used a ton of scrap materials to put it together.
Here’s a quick list of what we used:
- Two 4 x 6 treated landscape timbers
- Two 2 x 6 yellow pine timbers
- Four 2 x 2 pieces
- Eight 4-inch lag screws
- Four washers
- Boiled linseed oil and brush
My dad started the process by brushing boiled linseed oil onto the 4 x 6 and 2 x 6 timbers to protect it. He also prepped our soil awhile back by double-mulching oak leaves from the yard and mixing them in to increase the organic matter. He’s so good like that. (And see? Way more into it than me this year!)
Here’s what we started our day with:

But we transformed it into a pumpkin patch in around 45 minutes.
To get started with our raised bed, we drilled holes in the 2 x 2 pieces. We used these to join together the 2 x 6 and 4 x 6 timbers.

Once that was done, we moved to the patch space and drilled holes into our scrap timbers where we would attach the 2 x 2 pieces.

And then we joined them together with four-inch lag screws. Each included a washer.

When we were done, the first end looked something like this:

A view from the inside:

By the way, you could just grab your own kit for a raised bed, like this, on Amazon. Or you could just go for it and plant your pumpkins in mounds like we did last year.

This is me shoveling dirt to prove I didn’t make my dad do all the work. (And for the record, yes – it was cool enough this mid- April morning in Texas to be wearing sweatshirts while working!)

Once our bed was complete, we hauled in more dirt to fill it completely and used a garden hoe to break it up as we spread it out.

Most seed packages recommend planting pumpkins in mounds about 9-12 inches in diameter. I had room for six in this year’s patch.

I grabbed Ferry-Morse seeds this year because it’s what was available when I was looking. (Last year I used Burpee.)

Most seed packets will have more than you need, especially if you’re just growing a backyard pumpkin patch like me.

This year I decided to only plant two varieties. (Last year it was three. I was…too ambitious.) First up, the classic jack-o-lantern!

And sugar pies because I’ve heard these are the easiest to grow.

To plant, you’ll want to make a few holes in your mounds. I just used my finger and made mine about 4-5 inches deep.

Then drop in one seed per hole!

Cover ’em up…

And give them a nice little drink. Then in about 7-10 days, you should have some sprouts!

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Are you planting pumpkins this year?
I’d love to see your progress! Feel free to tag me in your photos or email them to me. Together, we’ll grow amazing backyard pumpkin patches for Halloween. And then we can carve them up, make pumpkin juice, mix up a batch of pumpkin mimosas or even bake one of these pumpkin treats.
Stay tuned for more pumpkin patch updates soon! You can also follow me on Instagram for more frequent updates in my stories.
Happy haunting,

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Chelsea Celaya
Next year we’ll plant. There’s too much construction going on in our yard to maintain a healthy bunch of plants. My mom has a greener thumb than the troll in Central Park and even her plants are struggling with all the dust and construction going on. Your patch looks great though! Wishing the best for your little saplings! I’ve greatly enjoyed seeing the progress on Instagram. I’m absolutely going to keep following along to see how your patch grows.