How to Grow Pumpkins in Minecraft

1. Pumpkin Seeds
2. Hoe (any type)
3. Water Bucket
4. Bone Meal (optional)

In order to grow pumpkins in the first place, you will need some pumpkin seeds. You can find pumpkin seeds in a variety of ways: chest loot from dungeons, mineshafts, villages, and woodland mansions; pumpkins can naturally generate in the overworld in almost any grassy biome; you can also find pumpkins in pillager outposts.

To grow the pumpkins, you will need to till the land. Using any type of hoe will do the trick. A higher quality material does not increase your crop yields, only the durability and block breaking time of the hoe itself. Use whatever material is expendable to you.

While pumpkins do not technically require water or hydrated land, it is best to get in the habit of hydrating your farmland for efficiency’s sake. This will also ensure that you do not lose any pumpkin seeds.

Finally, while the bone meal is optional, you can use bone meal on the pumpkin seeds to accelerate the process. The bone meal will not make the pumpkin itself grow faster, but you can skip the time required for the stem to grow.

1. The first step is to locate a pumpkin for pumpkin seeds. There are many different ways to find a pumpkin or pumpkin seed. Whether you decide to go looting for pumpkin seeds in chest loot, raid some villages for their pumpkins, or happen to run into a pumpkin in a grassy biome, you will need to obtain pumpkin seeds.

If you find a full pumpkin, you can use a crafting menu to convert the pumpkin into pumpkin seeds.

2. Once you have obtained pumpkin seeds through your preferred method, you can get started on growing some pumpkins. First, consider where you would like your pumpkin patch to be. It is worth noting that pumpkins do not grow like other crops. That is to say, pumpkins will not grow on the same block that you planted the seeds on, instead, they will grow adjacent to the stem. Make sure you have at one open adjacent block of space (if you want rows of pumpkins) or all four open adjacent blocks of space (if you want fast-growing pumpkins).

3. Nevertheless, once you have decided on a plot of land, begin tilling the land with your hoe. Just right-click with your hoe equipped to create farmland.

4. Next, you will want to place a water source block nearby to hydrate the farmland. This will ensure that the farmland does not deteriorate on its own and you can grow as many pumpkins as you want.

5. Once your water is placed, you can plant your pumpkin seeds in the farmland. Right-click with your pumpkin seeds selected on the farmland. It is also important to note that the block you want your pumpkins to grow on needs to be grass, coarse dirt, farmland, or dirt blocks.

6. Once your pumpkin seeds are planted you can optionally use bone meal to speed up the process. Select the bone meal in your hot bar and right-click on the pumpkin plants to accelerate their growth. You can see the different maturity levels of the pumpkin stem below.

7. Once your pumpkin stems are fully matured, all there is left to do is wait. You cannot bone meal the stems after they have reached full maturity. It will not accelerate the growth of the pumpkin itself. It is also worth noting that pumpkins require a light level of 10 in order to generate. Place torches close nearby or some glowstone above the stems themselves to ensure that you have enough light for the pumpkins to grow.

That is all you need to grow pumpkins in Minecraft.

1. The block adjacent to the pumpkin stem must be dirt, coarse dirt, farmland, or grass in order to grow.

1. The pumpkins require a light level of 10 in order to successfully generate. Torches will provide a light level of 14 decreasing by one each block away from the torch.

1. A single stem can grow an infinite amount of pumpkins assuming you break the pumpkin that grew from the stem. You will never have to replace the stem unless you break it yourself.

1. Bone meal only increases the growth rate of the stem, not the pumpkin itself.

Why won’t my Pumpkins Grow in Minecraft?

Ensure that your pumpkin has at least one open adjacent space around the pumpkin stem. You will also need to make sure that the block adjacent to the pumpkin stem is dirt, coarse dirt, grass, or farmland. Any other block will not provide any pumpkins. Also ensure that there is enough light for the pumpkins to grow in the first place, there needs to be a light level of 10. If all of these conditions are met, you just have to be patient.

How often do Pumpkins Grow in Minecraft?

Each pumpkin stem takes anywhere from 10-30 minutes to grow. This is either half a Minecraft day to 1.5 Minecraft days. You can cut the timer closer to 10 minutes if you leave all 4 adjacent blocks open. Pumpkins can often fail to grow if the block they are trying to grow on is invalid, resetting the internal timer. If you have at least 1 open adjacent spot, the pumpkin will eventually grow.

Are Pumpkins rarer than Diamonds in Minecraft?

Absolutely not. Pumpkins are actually fairly common. If you were placing bets on whether you find pumpkins or diamonds first, you will almost always find a pumpkin before you find a diamond barring any freak accidents.

Congratulations, you now know what it takes to grow pumpkins in Minecraft. They can be relatively finicky to grow, especially compared to other crops in the game. Once you find a pumpkin, consider growing some to supply any future pumpkin patch endeavors. Their uses are relatively limited, but you can use pumpkins to trade or make pumpkin pies. You can even use them purely for their cosmetic value. Knowing the ins and outs of growing pumpkins can help you plan how you cultivate your world.