Halloween is over and those pumpkins on your front porch are starting to look a little sad.
It’s garbage day at our household, and as I look at the pumpkins, I think, oh how easy it is to just throw them away. But, if you want to do some good for our planet, you could turn that jack-o-lantern into garden gold.
Let’s talk about composting. Did you know that pumpkins are made up of approximately 90-percent water?! Imagine how good that is for our environment!
Composting is an easy way to reduce waste while giving your fall decoration a second life. So how do you compost a pumpkin? Be sure to remove candles, decorations and any stickers. Chop the pumpkin up into smaller pieces so they break down faster. Another tip…mix in plenty of leaves to balance the moisture. If you have a whole pumpkin and don’t want to cut it into pieces, that’s fine too, it will just take longer to compost.
With children of my own, I’m thinking about how we can turn this into a family affair. How fun would it be for the kids to make a pumpkin graveyard?! Start by cleaning out the pumpkins and letting the kids scoop out the leftover seeds and guts. Then let them add the pieces to your compost pile. They can then check back every few weeks to see how their pumpkins are breaking down!
By spring, the pumpkins should be gone! If you let the kids keep a handful of seeds and plant them in a container, you might even have your own pumpkin patch by summer!
What a fun way to teach kids about nature, recycling, and how things return to earth.
If you don’t have a compost pile at home, be sure to check your community for pumpkin drop-off events or composting programs.
So, before you toss those pumpkins, let’s give them one last adventure! Less waste and healthier soil. That’s what we call making the most of fall!
