Compost Your Pumpkins

Reduce garbage, and make healthy soil.

Photo: Clive Nichols / Getty Images

By Brian Clark Howard

After you've finished celebrating Halloween, compost your jack-o-lanterns, instead of tossing them in the garbage (unless, of course, you are going to be turning them into yummy pumpkin pie, muffins or even flan).

Pumpkins, which of course are 100% natural, will break down quickly as compost in your yard, providing you with valuable nutrients for your lawn or garden. As you probably know by now, pumpkins aren't exactly light, so they otherwise take a considerable amount of fuel to haul to the landfill -- plus their bulky size means they take up space.

To get the best results in your compost bin, act like Billy Corgan and smash up the pumpkin a bit to provide more surface area. Layer with other types of materials, like shredded leaves, green weeds or grass clippings. If you really want to go all out, add manure, or a nitrogen supplement like cottonseed meal, bone meal or dried blood. Keep the pile moist and turn it over frequently.

If all that sounds like too much work, don't worry about it. In most areas, you can simply toss things in a pile, and just alternate materials as you get them. It may not make the most super-dooper compost, and it may take a little longer to break down, but you'll still get some nice nutrients, and you'll be helping the planet one little bit at a time.

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