Pumpkin Planter

Got pumpkins? Maybe even a few extra? Us, too. This year we thought it might be fun to try turning one of our pumpkins into a planter.

Making a Pumpkin Planter
This project can be completed in less than 30 minutes and is perfect for kids who like to get their hands dirty and/or goopy. Your supply list includes:

• A pumpkin
• Knife (for removing the top of the pumpkin)
• Flowers (we used mums) or other plant (potted or cut)
• Potting soil (optional)

1. Cut off the top of your pumpkin and clean it out. We collected the seeds to roast later.

• One variation I came across on creating a pumpkin planter recommended cutting a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin for drainage, but we didn’t bother.

• If you plan to keep the flowers in the container they came in inside the pumpkin, be sure the hole at the top of the pumpkin is wide enough to accommodate it.

2. Place some potting soil in the bottom of the pumpkin.

3. Add your flowers. You actually have a few options here.

• Use the plastic container the flowers came in and place the entire thing inside the pumpkin,
• Add your own container to the flowers, or
• Plant the flowers directly into the pumpkin.

We chose option 3 because we thought the flowers looked nicer.

4. Find a nice spot for your pumpkin to enjoy the fall festivities and water as needed. After Halloween, remove the plant and repot somewhere else. If you have a compost bin, add your pumpkin and soil.

We kept our pumpkin planter pretty simple, but you can get quite creative with it. Check out these plant-filled jack-o-lanterns for just one idea of what is possible.

Need more ideas for backyard nature fun this Halloween? Don’t miss Backyard Nature Fun: Halloween Edition.