Pumpkin Tips & Fall Porch Ideas
Nov 14, 2026
How to Make Pumpkin Puree From a Pie Pumpkin
Homemade pumpkin puree takes an afternoon, but it is mostly waiting while the oven works. The method is simple: cook the pumpkin until soft, scoop and blend the flesh, then cool an…
Read MoreNov 13, 2026
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Every pumpkin you carve or cook comes with a free snack inside. Roasted pumpkin seeds take a little patience to clean, but the rest is simple. Several university extension services…
Read MoreNov 12, 2026
Can You Eat a Carving Pumpkin?
The big orange pumpkin on your porch is technically food, so it is fair to wonder whether you can cook it. The short answer is that an uncarved, healthy carving pumpkin is edible, …
Read MoreNov 11, 2026
How to Compost Pumpkins the Right Way
Once your pumpkins have finished their season on the porch, the compost pile is one of the best places for them to go. Our post on what to do with your pumpkins after Halloween cov…
Read MoreNov 10, 2026
Blue Pumpkins Explained: Jarrahdale and Other Blues
A gray-blue pumpkin on a porch always gets a second look. The color seems unlikely for a pumpkin, but these varieties have been grown for generations, and several are prized in the…
Read MoreNov 9, 2026
What Are Those Warty Pumpkins?
Warty pumpkins look like something out of a fairy tale, covered in bumps, knobs and crusty patches. They catch the eye on a porch, and they raise the same question every fall: what…
Read MoreNov 8, 2026
How Cold Is Too Cold for Pumpkins?
Pumpkins look sturdy, but they are mostly water, and cold affects them in stages. A cool night is not the same as a frost, and a frost is not the same as a hard freeze. If you keep…
Read MoreNov 7, 2026
What Are Cinderella Pumpkins?
If you have seen a wide, flat, red-orange pumpkin with deep ribs on a porch or in a store display, you may have heard it called a Cinderella pumpkin. That name is a nickname. The p…
Read MoreNov 6, 2026
White Pumpkins: How to Use Them and Keep Them White
White pumpkins look calm and clean on a fall porch, and they pair with almost any color. They also behave a little differently from orange pumpkins. Some white types can pick up a …
Read MoreNov 5, 2026
How Many Hay Bales Do You Need for a Porch?
Hay bales are one of the easiest ways to give a fall porch height and a farm feel. The hard part is knowing how many to bring home. Too few and the display looks thin. Too many and…
Read MoreNov 4, 2026
How to Turn a Halloween Porch Into a Thanksgiving Porch
The good news about a fall porch is that most of it does not have to change after Halloween. Pumpkins, gourds and hay bales say autumn just as well in late November as they did in …
Read MoreNov 3, 2026
How to Use Hay Bales in a Fall Porch Display
A hay bale or two can turn a handful of pumpkins into a real fall display. Bales add height, give pumpkins a sturdy place to sit, and make a porch feel like a farm stand. They are …
Read MoreNov 2, 2026
Can You Keep Pumpkins Out Until Thanksgiving in Ohio?
Halloween is over, but the pumpkins on your porch may have a few more weeks in them. A lot of people in Ohio would like their fall display to carry right through to Thanksgiving, w…
Read MoreNov 1, 2026
What to Do With Your Pumpkins After Halloween
The candy is counted, the costumes are in the laundry, and the porch is still full of pumpkins. Now what? The answer depends on which pumpkins you are looking at. A carved jack-o-l…
Read MoreOct 31, 2026
The History of the Jack-o'-Lantern
Tonight, porches all over the country will glow with carved pumpkins. It is such a familiar sight that it is easy to forget the jack-o-lantern did not start out as a pumpkin at all…
Read MoreOct 30, 2026
Battery Lights or Candles in Jack-o'-Lanterns?
Nothing looks quite like the flicker of a real candle inside a jack-o-lantern. Battery lights have gotten much better, though, and safety groups have a clear opinion on which one t…
Read MoreOct 29, 2026
How to Get Your Porch Ready for Trick-or-Treaters
Halloween night brings a steady stream of small visitors up your walk, many of them in long costumes and masks, carrying candy buckets and looking anywhere but their feet. A little…
Read MoreOct 28, 2026
How to Paint Pumpkins So the Paint Lasts
Painting is one of the easiest ways to decorate a pumpkin, and a painted pumpkin can last far longer than a carved one. The frustrating part is when the paint peels, cracks or wash…
Read MoreOct 27, 2026
No-Carve Pumpkin Ideas That Last All Season
Carving is fun, but it comes with a clock. Once you cut into a pumpkin, it starts to dry out and break down. If you want a display that looks good from early October through Thanks…
Read MoreOct 26, 2026
Easy Jack-o'-Lantern Faces for Kids
For a lot of kids, the best part of Halloween is not the candy. It is deciding what their jack-o-lantern is going to look like. The trick is picking faces that are fun for them to …
Read MoreOct 25, 2026
Top, Bottom or Back: Where to Cut a Jack-o'-Lantern
Most of us learned to carve a jack-o-lantern the same way: cut a lid around the stem, pull it off and start scooping. That works fine, but it is not the only choice. Where you cut …
Read MoreOct 24, 2026
What Pumpkins Do Ohio Farms Grow?
When you buy a pumpkin in Ohio in October, it may well have been grown right here in the state. Ohio is a real pumpkin state, and the way Ohio farms grow and sell pumpkins is a lit…
Read MoreOct 23, 2026
Should You Wash Pumpkins Before You Display Them?
Pumpkins come straight from the field, and they bring some of the field with them. Dirt, mold spores and bacteria ride along on the skin. So it is fair to ask whether you should wa…
Read MoreOct 22, 2026
Why Is My Pumpkin Rotting From the Bottom?
You pick up a pumpkin that looks perfect from the top, and your fingers sink into the bottom. It is one of the most common pumpkin problems we hear about. The good news is that bot…
Read MoreOct 17, 2026
Do Pumpkins Need to Come Inside When It Frosts?
The first cold snap of the season always brings the same worry. You look at the forecast, see a low near freezing, and wonder whether your pumpkins need to come inside. The short a…
Read MoreOct 16, 2026
Can Pumpkins Sit Out in the Rain? Keeping Your Display Dry
Fall in Ohio means rain, sometimes for days at a time. So it is fair to wonder whether your porch pumpkins can handle it. The good news is that a pumpkin's rind is tough, and a pas…
Read MoreOct 15, 2026
When Should You Put Pumpkins Out in Ohio?
Every year someone asks us the same question: if I put my pumpkins out now, will they make it to Halloween? In southwest Ohio the answer is usually yes, as long as you know the dif…
Read MoreOct 14, 2026
How to Pick a Good Pumpkin at the Patch or the Store
How long a pumpkin lasts on your porch starts the moment you pick it up. A healthy pumpkin can last two to three months in the right conditions, while one with a hidden bruise may …
Read MoreOct 13, 2026
Pumpkin Carving Basics: Tools, Safety and Easy Designs
Carving a jack-o'-lantern is one of the best parts of October. It is also easy to get hurt if you rush it. Here is a simple guide to the tools, the safety rules and a few first des…
Read MoreOct 12, 2026
How to Keep Squirrels Away From Your Pumpkins
You set out a nice row of pumpkins, and two days later one of them has a hole chewed in the side. If you live anywhere with big trees, and most neighborhoods around Dayton and Cinc…
Read MoreOct 11, 2026
How to Arrange Pumpkins on Porch Steps
A set of front steps is one of the best places for pumpkins. Steps give you height without any extra props, and they sit right where your guests and neighbors look first. The trick…
Read MoreOct 10, 2026
Jack-o'-Lantern, Pie, White Ghost and Gourds: Pumpkin Types Explained
Walk into any pumpkin patch in October and you will see a lot more than round orange pumpkins. There are white ones, blue ones, flat ones, warty ones and tiny ones that fit in your…
Read MoreOct 9, 2026
How Many Pumpkins Do I Need for My Porch? A Guide by Porch Size
One of the most common questions we hear is how many pumpkins it takes to make a porch look full. The honest answer is usually more than people think. Three pumpkins on a big porch…
Read MoreOct 8, 2026
When to Carve Your Pumpkin So It Lasts Until Halloween
Every year someone carves a beautiful jack-o'-lantern in the middle of October, and by Halloween it has caved in on itself. It happens to almost everyone once. The good news is tha…
Read MoreOct 7, 2026
How Long Do Porch Pumpkins Last? (And How to Make Them Last Longer)
If you put pumpkins out in early October, you want them looking good on Halloween and, if you are lucky, through Thanksgiving. The good news is that a whole pumpkin can last two to…
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