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 the porch feels crowded or the door gets blocked. Here is a simple way to work out the right number for your space and the look you want.
Start with the size of one bale
It helps to know what you are working with. In a 2018 survey of hay growers, University of Georgia forage specialist Dennis Hancock reported that nearly all small square bales were two-string bales measuring 14 inches by 18 inches, with lengths from 30 to 40 inches. Bales vary from farm to farm, so measure the one you buy, but those numbers are a good starting point for planning your porch.
Plan for the weight
The same survey found that two-string bales averaged about 55 pounds, and more than 70 percent of growers said their bales weighed 40 to 60 pounds. That is heavy enough that you will not want to move a bale three times. Decide where each one goes before you lift it, and have a second person help with any stacking.
A small stoop or narrow entry: one bale
If your front door opens onto a small landing, one bale is usually plenty. Set it to one side of the door, long side against the wall, so it does not push into the walking path. Measure the open space first. A bale that is 18 inches deep takes a real bite out of a small landing, so setting it with the 14 inch side facing out can help. Top it with a few pumpkins and you have a full display.
A standard porch with a centered door: two bales
For most front porches, two bales, one on each side of the door, give a balanced look that frames the entry. If the door sits off to one side of a long porch, you can instead put both bales on the wider side, either end to end or one stacked on the other.
A wide porch or a taller look: three to six bales
For more height, stack bales. A classic stacked look uses two bales side by side on the bottom and one centered on top, which makes a stepped shape for pumpkins of different sizes. On a wide porch you can build that on one side and set a single bale on the other, or build a stepped stack on both sides for six bales in all. Keep any stack to two levels. Using the survey sizes, two bales stacked stand roughly 28 to 36 inches tall depending on how they sit, which is plenty of height for a porch, and a taller stack is less steady.
Steps and walkways
Bales can also sit at the bottom of porch steps or along a walk, one at the base of each side. Leave the full width of every step clear for feet. For ideas on placing pumpkins on the steps themselves, see our guide to arranging pumpkins on porch steps.
A quick way to decide
- Small landing or stoop: 1 bale
- Standard porch, door in the middle: 2 bales, one per side
- Wide porch, stepped stack on one side: 3 or 4 bales
- Large porch, stepped stacks on both sides: 6 bales
Before you buy, mark a rough outline on the porch floor with tape or string, using the bale size above. You will see right away whether the walking path stays open. Setting bales on a few boards or a mat, rather than straight on a surface that stays wet, helps the bottoms dry out between rains. Once your bales are in place, our post on using hay bales in a fall porch display has ideas for styling them.
Questions about your pumpkins?
If you have a pumpkin question we did not cover here, we would be glad to help. Call or text us at (513) 409-0005, or send a message through our contact page. We are a family-run business right here in the Springboro, Dayton and Cincinnati area, and we are always happy to talk pumpkins.