How much space should I allow for the plant? I have a raised veggie bed, but there are other areas I might be able to plant it in a flower bed as well.

Is it too late to plant a seed and expect him to grow a pumpkin of a decent size in time for halloween? He bought a Giant pumkin variety.

Any other information you can throw at me would be handy too!

Thanks!
Heather

For most varieties there is probably time in your zone -- I just planted my winter squash here in zone 7.

The true, Dills Atlantic Giant, as raised by giant pumpkin hobbiests, takes an intimidating 10-12feet square though they can be planted in smaller spaces and get smaller pumpkins.

More normal pumpkins can be planted in the center of a 3x3 foot square though you can expect the vines to run out further than that.

I don't know about other places, but around here it seems fashionable for the professional landscapers to plant a long-vined pumpkin or winter squash in the flower beds to use the large leaves as a dramatic accent and a background for the colorful flowers.

If there isn't time for the giant variety this year there is probably still plenty of time for a smaller choice and the giant seeds should still be good next year. :-)

Pumpkins are very easy to grow, but they're heavy feeders so you'll want to work plenty of compost into the planting hill and to feed it a couple times during the growing season.