Once Halloween is over, there’s got to be something you can do with those sad, slouching porch pumpkins leftover from the big night. Right? If possible, try not to throw them away, as pumpkins (just like any other food or organic waste) break down in the landfill and produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. So want to know what to do with your decorative pumpkins once Halloween is over? Let’s start with the obvious question:
Can I eat my Halloween pumpkin?
Probably not. Though we’re usually all about how to repurpose food remnants into something tasty, Halloween pumpkins that have been carved, left on your doorstep for a month, and played host to a smoky candle will not taste that great, no matter how you fix them up.
So what should I do with them?
Compost them! You can get the best mileage out of a molding pumpkin by composting it. If you already have a pile going, consider breaking up the pumpkin a bit for speedier decomposition. If you’d rather give the pumpkin one more life, you could also consider donating it to your local zoo.
Is it hard to start composting?
Absolutely not. The prospect of starting a compost pile can be intimidating, but in practice it’s a low-maintenance project that will reward you with super-rich fertilizer. A few droopy pumpkins could be the motivation you need to get started! If you have room somewhere out back for a bin, check out our composting 101 post or this simple how-to.
What if I live in an apartment or just don’t have space or time to compost?
Check out resources in your community! Your local community garden or weekly farmers market may have a compost bin open to the public. Get a head start and check with Find a Composter to see if anything is listed in your neighborhood. Load your pumpkins in the trunk, and feel good doing it!
Can I plant the seeds?
Yes! Pumpkins are one of the easiest fruits to grow. You can even hold onto the seeds and plant pumpkins in time to harvest for next Halloween. Forget the pumpkin patch, you could pick a pumpkin to carve right from your backyard. To grow big pumpkins, you’ll need a bit of space and 3 to 4 months of patience, but smaller varieties can be grown in beds or more compact gardens.
Three cheers for a less wasteful Halloween!
If you didn’t carve your pumpkin, you can eat it. Even if it was on your porch, because that’s kind of like being on the farm. Even if you drew on it. As long as it stays whole, it will last for many months. Turn it a little bit every few days so it doesn’t develop a pressure point and then break down.
To roast a pumpkin, cut it into half and clean out the seeds. Stick it in the oven skin-down (bowl up), put foil or a baking tray on the rack below it, and turn the oven on. For large "carving" pumpkins I do 400-425 for about 60-90 minutes until the flesh is mushy and skin in blackened. The little pie pumpkins are less time. When it’s done the skin falls right off and you have pumpkin puree.
Thanks so much for sharing this excellent pumpkin advice. We appreciate it and are sure other folks reading it will find it useful, too. We’re grateful for you!
[…] on it will produce a hollow sound, rather than the thud of a sugar pumpkin. So, when you’re done with your Jack O’Lantern, it’s best resting place is the compost, not your […]
I cut a hole in the side of the pumpkin that I didn’t carve. I leave it for the squirrels, they love it! When they’re done I compost it.
If the pumpkin hasn’t been carved, I like to cut it into large (ish) chunks, bake them and freeze them. When my dog has stomach issues, I take out a frozen chunk of pumpkin, thaw it and feed it to the dog. He lives it and it seems to calm his stomach issues.
Our city zoo takes donations of pumpkins for their animals.
The biggest advantage of composting your old pumpkin is new pumpkins. We have often had a couple of seeds from last year’s pumpkin take root in the vegetable garden and give us a few pumpkins.
the pumpkins on my porch this year are all from last year’s pumpkin, I grew a patch in my backyard from all of the seeds in 1 pumpkin.
Squirrels, deer, and other wildlife also love pumpkin. Just break the pumpkin into chunks and leave it where the wildlife can find it.
I love to roast and eat the seeds. I leave on the stringy bits, sprinkle on a bit of salt, and toast, turning periodically, until they’re done. I crack the shells off with my teeth as I’m eating them, and the salt and roasted pumpkin flavors add to the experience.
Mm, we’re excited to make these this week! ????