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Not just for Halloween! Spooktacular, nature-friendly uses for old pumpkins

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We all love how gourd-geous a carved pumpkin can look at this time of year, but what can you do with an old pumpkin after the trick-or-treaters have been and gone? Here are some suggestions for nature-friendly ways in which you can use your pumpkins after Halloween!

Can I feed my leftover pumpkin to wildlife?

There’s a lot of conflicting advice online about leaving your leftover pumpkins for wildlife to eat. While some may appreciate the extra treat as they struggle to find food in the winter, not all animals – such as hedgehogs – will be able to digest pumpkins properly, so you could unintentionally be doing them more harm than good. We’d recommend reusing your pumpkins in one of the following ways instead.

Compost your leftover pumpkin

As autumn is a brilliant time of year to plant flowers in time for spring, why not give your garden a helping hand with some pumpkin compost! Here's how:

  • Step 1 - Smash or cut the pumpkins into small pieces – if you’ve got some little nature explorers with you, they may enjoy getting involved too! This helps the pumpkins decompose faster
  • Step 2 – Put these small pieces in a sunny location if possible, as this helps speed up the decomposition process
  • Step 3 - Cover the pumpkins pieces with mulch, leaves and dirt
  • Step 4 - Let nature do its work!

 

Use your pumpkin to make a bird feeder 

A bird feeder made out of a hollowed out pumpkin, filled with bird feed and hanging on some string in a gardem

familydaystriedandtested.com

The large and shallow shape of a hollowed-out pumpkin makes a great bird feeder – just be sure to remove any candles or burnt areas inside the pumpkin, so visiting garden birds don’t accidently ingest them.

Simply cut the top off your pumpkin, hang in your garden using some sturdy string, fill with bird seed and watch your feathered friends tuck in! You could even add in some of the pumpkin seeds to the mix, just dry them in an over at 180C and leave them out for the birds to enjoy.

Regrow your pumpkin for next Halloween!

Speaking of pumpkin seeds, why not have a go of growing your own pumpkins? Save the seeds from your pumpkin and rinse them in running water to remove any pulp, then choose the biggest seeds as they will have a better chance of germinating.

Store them in a cool, dry spot for one week before placing them in the fridge until April. Pumpkin seeds can be sown as early as April and May, thriving best when they are planted straight in the ground. You’ll have your own pumpkin patch before you know it!

 

Create a pumpkin planter

A planter made from a pumpkin, with succulents inside

plantaddict.com

Another great use for pumpkins is to turn them into a planter! You’ll want to keep it in the shade to make sure the pumpkin lasts for as long as possible, so make sure you pick plants which prefer this kind of environment too.

Fully hollow the inside of the pumpkin, then fill it halfway up with soil. Pop in a succulent or another plant and there you go – an autumnal planter to bring a bit of nature into your home!

 

How will you be reusing your pumpkin this year? Share your wildlife-friendly tips with us on social media by tagging @Avonwt and email us at communications@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

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