Minecraft wiki entry for Pumpkin_and_melon_farming, associated text: If you do have a whole pumpkin or melon, but no seeds, simply place the pumpkin in a crafting grid, which yields 4 seeds, or, alternatively, place the pumpkin somewhere and use shears on it. The melon drops melon slices when mined, yielding 1 seed each when putting in a crafting area.