5 Things To Do With Your Pumpkins After Halloween

Discover different ways to repurpose your pumpkins after Halloween ends.

Once trick-or-treating’s done and the Halloween celebrations are officially over for the year, it’s time to take down your decorations.

Along with your spooky spiderwebs and black cats, you’ll also likely find yourself saying goodbye to the Jack-o-lanterns or pumpkins on your front porch for the season.

But don’t just throw away your pumpkins after Halloween has ended! Instead, there are plenty of other things you can do with them. These things are better for the environment, and they allow you to get multiple uses out of your pumpkins.

Get the most out of your pumpkins this season with one (or many) of these ways to repurpose them from Blain’s Farm & Fleet.

1. Compost Your Pumpkins

One of the best and easiest ways to keep your pumpkins out of the landfill is by composting them. If you already have a compost bin, just simply add them to it. It will make a great fertilizer for your garden.

If you don’t have a designated compost pile, you do have the option of burying them in your garden or yard, too. They should be decomposed once spring rolls around.

To help speed up the decomposition process, you can chop the pumpkin up into pieces.

If you don’t want to risk a pumpkin plant growing in your yard, remove the seeds before composting.

Also make sure it doesn’t have any candle wax or paint on it.

2. Feed Pumpkins to Wildlife

There are plenty of wild animals that love eating leftover pumpkin. If you live near a woods or don’t mind having animal visitors in your yard, this is simple.

Just cut up the pumpkin, and leave it outside for animals like squirrels and deer to enjoy.

If you prefer to only feed wild birds, there is an easy way to make a pumpkin into a bird feeder.

All you have to do is cut the pumpkin in half, add some bird seed to the inside, and attach rope or twine to hang it from a tree. You can also make a perch for the feathered friends by adding a few sticks to the sides.

And, of course, make sure the pumpkins don’t contain any paint or candlewax before feeding them to animals.

3. Donate Your Pumpkins

There are also several places you can donate your pumpkins after Halloween. If you know any local farmers, see if they want them. Many farmers like feeding pumpkins to their animals, like pigs and goats.

Chickens especially enjoy pumpkins. If you or someone you know has chickens, consider giving it to them as a treat.

Many zoos also appreciate pumpkin donations, as they feed them to some of their animals. You could try calling your local zoo to see if they accept donations.

Again, make sure your pumpkins don’t contain anything that could be poisonous to animals.

4. Eat the Pumpkins

If you have whole pumpkins that haven’t been carved or painted, you can also eat them!

There are so many delicious fall recipes that incorporate pumpkin. You can keep them until Thanksgiving, and use them for your pumpkin pie.

If you’re not ready to cook with it yet, you can freeze the pumpkin puree to use later, too. If you need some more ideas, check out our list of different pumpkin recipes to try.

And don’t just throw away the seeds! Roast pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack. Or save the seeds to plant in your garden once spring rolls around.

5. Use Pumpkins as Decorations

If you have whole pumpkins that haven’t been carved, it will take a while before they begin to rot. As long as they’re not Jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins make a great porch decoration for the entire fall season.

You could also bring them inside and use them as beautiful, festive centerpieces for your Thanksgiving dinner.

If you have pumpkins that are still in good condition even after Thanksgiving’s ended, don’t be afraid to use them as Christmas decorations, too!

Use your creativity to paint them according to the holiday. You could make them into snowmen, ornaments, Christmas trees, and more. The possibilities are endless!

For more seasonal tips and ideas, check out our Seasonal Activities Blog.