How to Save Pumpkin Seeds to Grow Next Season

Yes, you can save pumpkin seeds this fall and grow them again next year. Here's how to save pumpkin seeds the right way: save your Halloween pumpkins pick a fully ripe, and healthy, rinse the seeds clean, and let them air dry until they snap instead of bend. Stored somewhere cool, dark and dry, they'll stay viable for a few years if that is how long you need them for.

Next year's crop is sitting in that pumpkin, free. To save pumpkin seeds for planting in your Raised Garden Bed, choose a mature pumpkin, potentially even the one used as your fall decor, rinse the seeds, keep only the plump ones, and air dry them in a single layer for 1 to 3 weeks. Store fully dry seeds in a labeled paper envelope inside a sealed jar, somewhere cool and dark.

Why Bother Saving Pumpkin Seeds?

One pie pumpkin holds a few hundred seeds. A seed packet holds maybe fifteen.

This is your free seed, with plenty of extras to share. Save from your best pumpkins year after year and your seeds slowly adapt to your own soil and season. You also hang on to varieties you love, since that pumpkin may not be around on store shelves next spring. And if you have kids, scooping pumpkin guts is an easy sell. Watching the process of their own seeds sprouting in May seals the deal.

Pick the Right Pumpkin First 

Look for a pumpkin labeled heirloom or open-pollinated, like Small Sugar, Connecticut Field or Jack Be Little. Those come true from seed, meaning next year's plant looks like this year's.

Hybrid (F1) pumpkins are a gamble: their seeds sprout, but the fruit may not match the parent. Most grocery store pumpkins are hybrids.

Before you cut it open, check three more things.

The rind should be hard enough that your thumbnail doesn't dent it, and the stem should be dry and corky. Let it cure indoors for 2 to 4 weeks so the seeds finish filling out. And skip most if not all pieces with rot, so scoop a jack-o'-lanterns seeds the day you carve it. You can still grow end of season pumpkins, just with a bit more chance. 

Common myth: "If I grew it myself, the seeds will grow the same pumpkin." Not always. Pumpkins share a species with zucchini, acorn squash and many gourds, and bees happily cross them. If those grew nearby, next year's fruit could be a surprise.

How to Save Pumpkin Seeds, Step by Step

1. Cut and scoop. Slice around the stem or halve the pumpkin and pull out the seed mass.
2. Rinse. Drop everything into a bowl of water and squish the pulp off with your fingers. Pull out the seeds and discard any that are flat or paper thin.
3. Spread in one layer. Use a window screen, a ceramic plate or a baking sheet lined with parchment. Skip paper towel, since the seeds glue themselves to it.
4. Air dry for 1 to 3 weeks. Keep them somewhere warm and airy, out of direct sun, and stir them every day or two so they dry evenly.
5. Do the snap test. A dry seed breaks cleanly when bent. If it bends like rubber, give it another week.

One warning from experience: never oven dry seeds you plan to plant. Even a low oven can cook the seed, and you won't know until nothing comes up in May.

Storing Pumpkin Seeds Over Winter

Moisture and heat kill stored seed, so keep both low.

Put your dry seeds in a paper envelope, then seal that envelope inside a glass jar. The paper wicks away leftover moisture and the jar keeps humidity out. Store the jar in a cool, dark closet or the fridge, never a garage, shed or sunny windowsill where temperatures swing.

Growing Pumpkins in Raised Beds Next Spring

About a month before planting, run a quick germination test. Roll 10 seeds in a damp paper towel, slip it into a plastic bag and set it somewhere warm. Check after 5 to 10 days: 7 sprouts means roughly 70% germination, so you'll know how thickly to sow.

Plant after your last frost, once the soil is warm (around 70°F is ideal). Raised beds warm up faster than in-ground soil in spring, which gives heat loving pumpkins a head start.

Think small and let them spill. A compact pie or mini variety suits a raised bed far better than a 50 lb giant. In a 30" tall raised garden bed, the vines trail over the edge and the fruit hangs or rests below, which keeps it off wet ground. A few tips:

• Go with 12" depth. Pumpkins are hungry and deep rooted, and the standard 12" planting depth gives them the room they need.
• Pick the 18" width for more root space, and plan on one plant per 36" to 48" of bed.
• Feed the soil. Mix compost in before planting and top dress again when the vines start running.

Our beds are built from WRCLA certified Western Red Cedar, which is naturally rot resistant, so you can pile on rich, damp compost without worrying about the wood.

Not sure which size fits your yard? Compare all the lengths, from 24" to 72", and both cedar grades in our Raised Garden collection. Every length is modular, so you can match a bed to the exact space you have.

Pumpkin Seed Saving FAQ

Can I plant seeds from a store-bought pumpkin?

You can, and they'll probably sprout. Just know most store pumpkins are hybrids, so the fruit you get might look nothing like the one you bought. Honestly, that's half the fun for some families.

How long do saved pumpkin seeds last?

Four to six years if they're properly dried and kept cool and dark. After that the germination rate slides, so sow a little thicker or run a paper towel test first.

Do I need to soak pumpkin seeds before planting?

Nope. A few hours in lukewarm water can nudge them to sprout a day or two sooner, but warm soil matters a lot more than soaking.

Why did my saved seeds grow a weird looking pumpkin?

We get this one every fall. It's almost always cross pollination: a zucchini, acorn squash or ornamental gourd nearby shared pollen with your pumpkin, and the seeds carried both parents.

Ready for Next Year's Pumpkins?

Your seeds are drying, so the only thing missing is a spot to plant them. Fall is a smart time to get a bed built and filled, since the soil has all winter to settle before spring planting. Browse the Raised Garden collection and see how easy assembly really is.

So what are you saving seeds from this year: a classic pie pumpkin, a mystery grocery store pick, or something stranger? Tell us in the comments.