Can You Leave Pumpkins Out To Rot In Your Yard?

If you like to decorate your front porch for the fall, chances are it involves pumpkins. Maybe you've had your Halloween fun carving jack-o'-lanterns or simply used a collection of different colored squash to make things more festive. But by the time Halloween arrives, the time quickly approaches to do something with all the leftover pumpkins. As you're Googling how long pumpkins will last and realizing the answer definitely isn't "forever," you might also be wondering if you can just leave them out in the yard to rot. Would that be so bad?

Yes, it turns out. Letting pumpkins rot in your yard is, in fact, a terrible idea. The most obvious reason is that it's simply not aesthetically pleasing to have a pile of rotting fruit in your front yard. But beyond that, the decaying pumpkin can attract little crawlers that you might not like having around. Rats, mice, raccoons, squirrels, and other pests see that pumpkin mush as a sweet treat, and it won't take long for them to invite their friends.

If your pumpkins still have seeds in them, letting them rot into the ground might also bring something unexpected when the weather warms up. You could find yourself with a pumpkin patch sprouting up in your yard in the spring. While that may be an interesting way to give your garden a brand-new look, the vines can easily smother your grass and ruin your yard if that's where the pumpkins take root. If growing pumpkins is your goal, removing the seeds and planting them in the desired area is a better bet.

Ideally, you shouldn't throw out those rotting pumpkins, either. Pumpkins that end up in the landfill just give off dangerous methane gas that's bad for the environment. A better alternative is to compost them, recycling their nutrients for use by future plants. Once they break down, you can use the nutrient-rich compost in your garden.

To make sure you are safely composting the pumpkins, remember to take off any decorative pieces you might have used. For example, if you had a tealight candle inside, remove it and clean off any melted wax. If you haven't carved your pumpkin, you'll want to cut it open at this point to remove the seeds. Then you can deconstruct the pumpkin into smaller pieces and toss it into the compost. Adding dry ingredients, like wood chips or cardboard pieces, to the compost at the same time can help maintain a balanced mixture.

If you don't compost at home, go to a local composting location that will take your pumpkins for you. An easy way to find the closest place is by looking up your zip code on an online site like Emerald Ecovations. Remember to prep your pumpkins the same way you would if composting at home before taking them to a public composting site.