Pumpkin Plant Issues - Ask Extension
Good evening. I have a raised garden bed in my yard with a mix of top soil, homemade compost and Vigaro garden soil. I planted four pumpkin plant seed...
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Pumpkin Plant Issues #907659
Asked June 28, 2025, 7:27 PM EDT
Good evening. I have a raised garden bed in my yard with a mix of top soil, homemade compost and Vigaro garden soil. I planted four pumpkin plant seeds in early May (I think). The garden gets full sun and it has gotten water everyday, from either rain or the hose. They have been growing very well and still are but I've noticed some pale yellow on a few of the leaves. I did look online for explanations but there's so many potential issues that could cause this that I could not figure out which one it is. Please help! Thank you.
Carroll County Maryland
Expert Response
Your plants look very healthy.
The tiny white spots suggest minor injury from a sucking insect pest like leafhoppers. Not a cause for concern. A few yellow leaves are not of concern either; if most of the leaf is yellow, just cut it off and discard in the trash.
Your watering may be excessive, especially given the amount of rain we have had. Put your finger into the soil and see if it's dry at 3-4 inches. Water only if the soil is dry. A periodic "deep" watering is better than a little watering every day. If watering manually, do it gently, at soil level, to keep the leaves dry. A good time is in the early morning.
Four plants in a 4x8 raised bed may be 2 plants too many. You may wish to remove 1 or 2 plants to give the others more room to grow.
Good luck
Len
The tiny white spots suggest minor injury from a sucking insect pest like leafhoppers. Not a cause for concern. A few yellow leaves are not of concern either; if most of the leaf is yellow, just cut it off and discard in the trash.
Your watering may be excessive, especially given the amount of rain we have had. Put your finger into the soil and see if it's dry at 3-4 inches. Water only if the soil is dry. A periodic "deep" watering is better than a little watering every day. If watering manually, do it gently, at soil level, to keep the leaves dry. A good time is in the early morning.
Four plants in a 4x8 raised bed may be 2 plants too many. You may wish to remove 1 or 2 plants to give the others more room to grow.
Good luck
Len
I forgot to include this in my first response:
Growing Pumpkins in a Home Garden | University of Maryland Extension
Growing Pumpkins in a Home Garden | University of Maryland Extension
