How to give your pumpkins new life after Halloween
VICTORIA, Minn. — Halloween is officially over. As quickly as the holiday seems to pass every year do the pumpkins on your porch begin to sink.
More often than not, the spooky, festive decorations will end up in the trash — adding to the nearly 70 million tons of yard trimmings and food waste Americans generate each year.
John Thull is a grape researcher at the University of Minnesota's Horticultural Research Center, just behind the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's AppleHouse in Victoria.
"There's a lot of pumpkins that either get smashed up along the roadside or the garbage directly," Thull said. "I don't know how many tons, it's an amazing amount. It's kind of sad. They could have a better life you know going back into the garden somewhere and becoming plant material or fertilizer next season."
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Thull and his wife Jenny grow pumpkins, squash and gourds every year at the arboretum, which are for sale at the AppleHouse. It's been a great season for the couple.
"Yeah, it's been a wonderful season, despite the drought," he said. "This whole field, the whole plot was filled with pumpkins."
As the chill seeps in and Halloween passes, Thull starts to think about what do with leftover pumpkins. He shared some ideas with WCCO crews.
Animal Enrichment
Thull says part of their leftover crop goes toward animal enrichment at the Como Zoo in St. Paul.
"We do have a friend that works at the Como Zoo. They take a certain amount of these pumpkins. The polar bears and animals they just love playing around with the pumpkins. It's fun to see them bobbing around in the water with these big pumpkins. It's kind of cute," he said.
It's not an option for everyone, but the idea can be applied to any local farm or even a neighbor with chickens.
"The horse, the cows, the pigs love this stuff. They would definitely eat that stuff up," he said.
Animal Food Source
Regular pumpkins can be used as a food source for squirrels, birds and deer in your backyard.
"If you did have it hanging in the backyard somewhere I'm sure the birds and squirrels would get after it, but not everyone wants to attract the animals in the neighborhood to your particular yard," he said.
Birdhouse
Some gourds can be hallowed and birds will use them as a nest. Thull showed a gourd literally called "bird house gourd" as an example.
"After it's been used decoratively in the fall, you could take this guy, hollow a little hole in there and let the birds actually make a nest inside," he said.
Compost
Thull said his most common practice of repurposing pumpkins is to compost them in your garden.
"It's great for your garden," he said. "Even if you don't have a garden space but you got a hidden bush on the side of the house somewhere, you can just push by the bush and it will go back into the earth that way."
Thull said it's easy to do, too.
"The winter will kind of take care of the pumpkin if you just set it somewhere where you don't mind it kind of deflating away over the winter," he said. "By next season, it will be pretty much just mush and it will be nice compostable material that can work into your garden at that point."
Recycle A Fun Way
Several cities are hosting pumpkin smashing events, as a way reduce pumpkin waste.
Here are several events happening around the Twin Cities.
City of Anoka Waste Reduction | Pumpkin Smashing
The city of Anoka's Waster Reduction & Recycling Board is hosting a pumpkin smash to help divert pumpkins from the landfill. Bring pumpkins and toss them in the compost bin. It's Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Sorenson Park in Anoka.
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Families can bring old pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns to toss, chuck, and roll down the hill. The event is Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It's hosted at the Peter Thompson Park in Cottage Grove.
With help from the Edina Fire Department, families are invited to participate in a pumpkin-rolling contest, pumpkin slingshots and smashing and bashing your pumpkin to smithereens. Pumpkins will be hauled away by Vierkant Organics to be during into compost. People who just want their pumpkins composted can drop them off during the event. The event is Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Countryside Park in Edina.
Minnesota United FC Pumpkin Trade
The United are collecting pumpkins at its Black and Blue Team Store at Allianz Field from noon to 6 p.m. between Nov. 1 and Nov. 4. In exchange, you'll get a 10% discount at the team's store.
The Arboretum AppleHouse is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. It's located at 7685 Rolling Acres Road, Victoria. For more information, click here.