Fall Curb Appeal with Pumpkins

[missmanors]

Using the oranges, reds, and yellows of the fall season allow for eye-appealing fall decorating. What better way to show the season, than with a show of pumpkins beside your front door?

If you didn't grow pumpkins in your own garden this year, you may want to add a few vines next year, but in the mean time, just head to the nearest pumpkin patch or grocery store.

Choosing the right pumpkin:

If you're looking for a pumpkin for baking, the Small Sugar variety is a great choice, with firmer flesh and a sweeter taste. This pumpkin does not have stringy or fibrous flesh, as a carving pumpkin has.

To choose a carving pumpkin, consider the design that you will be using for it. Look for a pumpkin which is large enough for the stencil or carving. Be sure to turn the pumpkin over and look for bruises, discolorations, soft spots, nicks or scrapes which may interfere with the design. It's a good idea to bring your stencil along with you while you shop. If you intend to use an ornage design, a larger pumpkin may work much better than a small one. You can achieve more character on a typical jack-o'lantern face by purchasing a tall, thin pumpkin. You can line a walkway with small pumpkins which have been carved to hold votive candles.

Carving pumpkins have a deep orange color, a flat bottom, and a sturdy stem. A flat bottom ensure that it will sit evenly after carving. Do not handle the pumpkin by the stem, as it could break off, and could shorten the life span of the carved pumpkin.

To preserve the carved pumpkin for as long as possible, cover all areas with petroleum jelly in order to keep the pumpkin moist. It's also a good idea to lightly coat the inner surface. You can purchase spray preservatives which deter mold, rot and bugs from harming your carved pumpkin. When using these preservatives, be sure to spray the inside and outside of the pumpkin.

Pumpkins do need some room to vine, but are easy to grow. Start the seeds inside, and transplant the seedlings when there is no longer a chance for frost. Pumpkins need to be turned as they grow to ensure an even color and that there will be no soft spots.

Decorating with pumpkins for halloween can be a fun experience for the whole family. Children can also help with growing pumpkins, as the seeds are large and easy to handle. Children love to be able to watch pumpkins grow and also to help in turning them, not to mention getting to carve the pumpkins that they had a hand in producing in their very own garden.

[homealone]

This is some really great information here. I did not know that using petroleum jelly would help keep the pumpkin moist, nor did I know that there were spray preservatives that can also be used. I am glad to have learned this information. I hate when you carve a pumpkin and soon after it looks aweful due to pests and other problems. I have never given much thought to growing my own pumpkins either, this is something I will really have to look into next year. I would be alot more fun to grow them rather than just purchase them. Hopefully I will have enough yard space for them. Thank you for posting such useful information for all of us!!

[missmanors]

I'm glad that the information was useful to you, homealone. I've been thinking that those things which I do automatically and don't even think about, could be helpful to those of you who haven't been around as long as me.

I'll have to pay attention to the little things that I do on a daily basis, or for special occasions that could be good to post for you young 'uns.