Fall is officially here, which means flannel shirts, apple picking, and pumpkin spice everything. Here at the farm, we got into the spirit of the season a bit early this year, and put our traditional pumpkin wagon out next to the farm stand the first week of September.

Pumpkins are of course the quintessential harbinger of autumn, so I thought I’d offer you a few decoration tips as you put them out on your front porch this season…

1. Skip the plastic

(This is more of a general consideration than a decorating tip, but as a steward of this Earth I feel compelled to necessitate it…)

In the United States we throw away 250 million tons of trash a year. While plastic decorations make look cute and be reusable, they get used for a few years and then inevitably end up in our garbage. They sit in landfills for decades or even centuries, polluting our soil and water.
Please please please ditch the plastic decorations and start a tradition of going all-natural. They won’t take up storage space 10 months of the year, and at the end of the season you can toss everything into your compost pile where it will feed your backyard critters for winter and later decompose into usable compost. You may even get some volunteer pumpkins that re-grow next year!

2. Color scheme

Stick with one color or mix them all. There are so many fun pumpkin varieties available these days that you could pick one color scheme, like all oranges, blues/greens, or beiges and whites. OR you can get creative and combine them all to create a vibrant reflection of the colors of Autumn.

Hues of blue and green. From “Martha Stewart Living” Magazine

2. Textures:

Varying textures give a design a more complete feeling. You can use metal, wood, or plants to create accent pieces among your pumpkins. I had an extra metal chicken waterer that I added to this display, and it blends right in for a “farmhouse” style design. Wooden signs, hay bales, corn stalks, and vibrant mums are all great accent pieces that add extra texture and life to your front porch.

3. Layering

Create depth in your display by adding different sized items. Pumpkins of all different shapes and sizes are the easiest way to do this, but you can also use tables, crates, or hay bales to give your design a bit more depth.

5. A Wreath:

Create a welcoming centerpiece to the front of your home with an all-natural wreath or swag. I bundled together this ornamental corn with baling twine for a quick 3-minute design, but the internet is abound with ideas for DIY homemade autumn wreaths. Use grapevine, pine cones, or corn husks (the possibilities are endless) to create a piece that is unique to you and your family.

Many thanks to my friends Emelia and Ally who let me takeover their front porch for a couple hours to create this display.
Decorating your home is one of the best ways to get into the spirit of a new season and create a warm welcome for family and guests. Use these tips to create a space that is uniquely yours and good for the planet too.
🍂 Happy fall! 🍁