Everyone likes to display a pumpkin on their porch for Halloween, but I love to keep my pumpkins through Thanksgiving. I usually prefer a display of many pumpkins or squash types. This year I have a green pumpkin on my porch, along with smaller pie pumpkins in my lower windows.
Along with the pumpkins, I use dried plant material that I collect from my dried ornamental grasses from the previous year. These dried grasses make perfect nests for the pumpkins on my front porch. Using wire baskets or a cement urn keeps the pumpkins off the ground. I need to protect them from small chipmunks that seem to like a nibble once and awhile. I find that the cold weather in Michigan keeps my pumpkins very fresh outdoors. If the temperatures rise, then the risk of the pumpkins becoming soggy increases. When Thanksgiving approaches, I remove the seeds and toast them in the oven for a great Thanksgiving snack.
