Even Pumpkins Can Be Green
After you’ve finished celebrating Halloween, don’t throw your carved pumpkins in the trash or haul them to the landfill, compost those scary fellows (unless, of course, you are going to be turning them into great tasting pies or muffins).
Pumpkins will break down quickly to provide great compost for your yard, supplying valuable nutrients for your lawn or garden. 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, then 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 organic things in a pile, and just alternate materials as you get them. Although it may not make the best compost, and it may take a little longer to break down, but you will still get some nice nutrients, and you’ll be helping the planet one little bit at a time.
