Best. Idea. Ever. Seriously, I love these creative pumpkins from Garden Therapy! I’m so excited to feature them here today. Good thing Halloween is just around the corner because I don’t think I could wait a whole year to make them. These are so creative and so much better than the plain old ones. I especially like ‘Jack’s’ teeth. What a smiley happy pumpkin!
Here’s the link to Garden Therapy’s full article: Garden Therapy: Jack-O-Planterns
A Jack-o-lantern might be one of the most traditional ways to celebrate Halloween, but that’s not the only thing that you can do with a pumpkin. While most people will carve a face into their pumpkins and then put a candle inside, some very creative people have come up with the idea of using it as a planter. These look amazing and will be a welcome addition to anyone’s Halloween celebrations.
Tools Required
It’s very easy to make a jack-o-lantern planter yourself. This fun pumpkin idea only needs a few tools, including:
– Pen
– Knife
– Plants
– Compost
– Pumpkin
Plants
When it comes to plants you can choose pretty much anything. The types of plants that work the best for me include grasses in various colors, kale and ornamental cabbage. I’ve also experimented with a few other plants and you can get different looks by trying out different types of plants.
Step 1 – Hollowing the Pumpkin Out
The very fist step is to cut the top of the pumpkin and start scooping out all of the seeds and innards. This can either be discarded or kept. The seeds can be roasted and taste really nice, and the flesh can also be used to make soup if you wish.
Step 2 – Designing your Pumpkin
Next, you will need to decide what you want your pumpkin to look like. Normally this will be a smiley face with a toothy grin, although you can also design lots of other patterns. I find it easiest if you draw the design directly onto the pumpkin so that you have something to cut out.
Step 3 – Cutting the Design out
Once you have copied the design onto the pumpkin, it’s then a matter of using your sharp knife to cut it out. This is exactly the same as a regular jack-o-lantern so far. Be careful at this stage as you don’t want to hurt yourself, and you also need to be very careful to avoid breaking the pumpkin.
Step 4 – Filling with Compost
Once that’s all cut out you can then fill the pumpkin with soil or compost. Be gentle and don’t compress the soil too much as this could cause the design on the front to break.
Step 5 – Planting
Now you’re ready to plant. Before you actually plant anything in the pumpkin, it’s a good idea to try them in various locations. When you are happy with your design you can then plant it properly. Plants can be put in the top, around the mouth and even in the eyes.
Step 6 – Caring for your Jack-o-lantern planter
Your jack-o-lantern planter is very easy to care for. It needs the occasional water and it should last throughout Halloween. Once you have finished celebrating, simply remove the plants and compost the pumpkin. The plants can either be planted into other planters around the garden, or put into the garden.
Hopefully this fun pumpkin idea will get you in the mood for Halloween. It’s so easy to make, that it’s the perfect activity to help keep the kids occupied. It’s also something that’s slightly different and will become a real talking point.
Additional Resources: Looking for more pumpkin planter ideas?
Don’t miss this article by BHG.com and also this video by Martha Stewart.