by Melinda Myers
It’s pumpkin season and time to select and decorate pumpkins for your fall display. Keep pumpkins and Jack-o’-lanterns looking their best longer with proper selection and care.
Harvest or purchase pumpkins free of holes, cuts, and soft spots for decorating. Damaged fruit tends to rot faster, ruining your fall display. And always carry the fruit cradled in your arms, not by the stem. Once the stem breaks away from the fruit, the pumpkin is more susceptible to rot and its beauty fades.
Store carving pumpkins in a cool location until you are ready to start cutting. Extend the beauty of carved pumpkins by washing them with warm water and letting them dry before making the first cut. Try leaving the top intact and scooping the insides out through a hole in the back. This limits water entering the carved cavity and helps extend the life of your Jack-o’-lantern.
Coat the cuts with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil to seal in the moisture and prolong your display. Take it one step further and use a commercial preservative or peppermint oil to keep your Jack-o’-lantern looking its best for as long as possible.
Don’t give up when your Jack-o’-lantern begins shriveling. Instead, give it a cold bath to freshen up its appearance.
Or put away the knives and break out the paint, beads, decorations, crayons, and your imagination to further extend your pumpkin’s beauty. Turn your pumpkin into a creature, movie character, pet, or fun object. You’ll find lots of creative inspiration in magazines and online.
Don’t worry if you have limited artistic ability. Create a multicolored crayon-dripped pumpkin. Wipe the pumpkin’s surface clean and allow it to dry before you start decorating. Remove the labels from the crayons and break them in half if needed.
Glue the crayons to the top of the pumpkin to prevent them from rolling off while you work. Place one end of the crayon against the stem and the other end pointed away from the center of the pumpkin.
Cover your work surface and use your hair dryer to melt the crayons so they drip down the sides of the pumpkin, creating a colorful waxy covering. A high heat setting will speed up the process but may make a bigger mess by splashing the melted wax all over the table.
To further dress up your landscape consider converting a few pumpkins into fall planters. Remove the top. Cut a hole large enough to accommodate the pot you’ll be inserting. Remove the seeds and flesh, cut a few drainage holes in the bottom, and then set a pot of pansies, asters, mums, or ornamental peppers inside.
Or plant the flowers directly in the pumpkin planter filled with potting soil. When your pumpkins start to rot, move them, plants and all, to the compost pile. They will break down into a wonderful soil amendment for next year’s garden.
Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
