Pumpkin season is upon us! These days you can find a wonderful variety of pumpkins and gourds at neighborhood farmer’s markets, pumpkin patches, and stores. It’s hard to choose just one! Some you may carve into silly faces, and others may sit happily on your porch waiting for Halloween. No matter how you display your pumpkins, at some point, the season will be over and carefully carved faces will begin to become extra scary.
This Halloween, think before you toss your pumpkin into the garbage can. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), over 1 billion pounds of pumpkins are thrown away every year. While pumpkins are organic material, they are unable to break down in a landfill because they are compressed and have no access to the oxygen needed to help them decompose. Talk about a horror story! Find an eco-friendly way to dispose of pumpkins this year.
Composting
This is the easiest way to get rid of unwanted pumpkins. Smashing or breaking pumpkins into smaller pieces before adding them to the compost bin will help speed up the process. No compost bin? No problem! Cover pumpkins in your garden beds with leaves and other organic material and Mother Nature will do the rest. If you choose this method, remember that any remaining seeds may sprout the following year!
Chicken Feed
In the fall and winter months, chickens love a tasty treat of leftover pumpkins. Memphis Area Master Gardener and Chicken Mama Miki Skeen collects uncut pumpkins from friends and family every year to feed her flock. She says that she saves pumpkins for the coldest days and then busts them open for a fresh treat for the chickens. Sometimes the chickens will peck at them and snack on them as they want, since they are stored in the chicken enclosure. Miki explains that only uncut pumpkins are fed to her chickens as carved ones will often mold quickly and have had the seeds removed, which is their favorite part. Other farm animals such as pigs love a pumpkin snack as well.
If chickens and other farm animals are not an option for you, you can leave pumpkins for wildlife such as birds, squirrels, and deer by cutting a whole pumpkin into chunks and leaving it on the edge of your garden for them to nibble. They will be happy for the treat.
This Halloween, say BOO to landfills and find an easy and beneficial way to dispose of pumpkins.
