by Jess Catherine, Purchasing Assistant
As we shift into a more comfortable season, I wanted to find a way to create some curb appeal that would express my love for fall and gardening by planting ornamental kale, cabbages, chrysanthemums or a variety of edibles in homemade pumpkin planters. This was pretty easy and my little helpers were excited to be involved and get their hands dirty.
Making the Planters
- Pick out a variety of pumpkins in different shapes, sizes and colors. I even opted for some squash varieties because they would work nicely for my succulents as a table centerpiece. To keep them looking fresh, make sure you don’t notice any soft spots when you are picking them out!
- Use a sharp knife: Your goal is to not cut too large of an opening in the top of your pumpkin. Make the opening large enough to accommodate the root ball of the plant you’ve chosen and to allow you to scoop out the pumpkin innards. Ta-da!
- Now, the fun part: removing the innards. You’ll want to make plenty of room to fill the pumpkin with potting soil to keep your plant healthy. (Don’t forget to drill a small drainage hole in the bottom of your pumpkin.) But don’t let those innards go to waste. Save them for a variety of pumpkin recipes. And the seeds are great for roasting with any number of spices.
- Fill the pumpkin cavity with potting soil. Depending upon your taste and your garden, consider edibles like dinosaur kale, Redbor kale, and lettuces have the perfect texture and richly colored look for these planters. For the Centerpiece Succulent Squash, I just used some clippings from the sedum varieties like hens and chicks and stonecrop.
- If you can, display them in a cool, dry space where they will not be in direct sunlight for long periods of the day. If they get lots of rain, or a lot of up and down temps, that will also speed up the decomposition process.
- When the pumpkins begin to look not-so-fresh, dig a hole in your garden or raised beds. Your edibles and ornamentals can be planted while still in the pumpkin directly into the soil and will live on in the ground. The pumpkin will provide nutrients for your plants and—better still—nothing will be wasted!
