How to Make a Pumpkin Planter
Pumpkins can serve as a great fall decor piece! The options with pumpkins are limitless! These staple fall decorations can be stacked on porch stairs and carved to be used as a luminary. Pumpkins can even be used as a planter to hold beautiful fall annuals. Continue reading to learn how to make a pumpkin planter!
Selecting the Pumpkin
The first step in creating a pumpkin planter is to select your favorite pumpkin from Green Side Up Garden & Gifts. Be sure to select a pumpkin with enough room to hold a 6-inch container or larger. Don’t worry about colors, as pumpkins can come in a variety of shades. White, orange and green heirloom pumpkins will work for this project.
Select Fall Annuals
You can’t go wrong with the flowers. You may already have mums or pansies available. If not, you can simply use cuttings from the yard or buy mums at Green Side Up. If you decide to use cuttings from the yard, you can take cuttings from evergreens and any trees that are putting on a show of fall color! Consider selecting fall flowers that hang over the pumpkin! Doing so may hide the imperfect carving on top and give some depth to your pumpkin planter!
Prepare & Plant the Pumpkin
Now it is time to get down and dirty! Much like cutting and carving a jack-o-lantern, you will cut the top off of the pumpkin and empty the inside. Be sure that the interior is free of all seeds and pumpkin innards! This will prevent the pumpkin from breaking down before your big meal. Once the pumpkin is clean, we recommend watering your plants in the nursery container that they came in before planting.
Once the plant has drained, you can then begin planting your flowers inside the pumpkin. Depending on the size of the pumpkin and the size of the plants chosen, you may have to add soil to the pumpkin. Adding soil will keep the plants upright and the roots moist. Since you watered the plant before you added it to the pumpkin, it will not be necessary to water again., especially if you are completing this project the day before.
If, for some reason, your plant does look dry the day of the big meal, water lightly around the soil line. Remember, that you do not have a drainage hole. Do not overwater it as this will cause the pumpkin to rot! If you are taking cuttings instead of using flowers, you may use styrofoam when placing the cuttings inside the pumpkin. Feel free to add some sphagnum moss to fill in holes and cascade down the sides of the pumpkin!
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