Tips for using up Pumpkins after Halloween as dumping pumpkins in woodland bad for wildlife says Forestry England expert

Well-meaning residents are being warned to avoid dumping pumpkins in the woods this Halloween as it is bad for wildlife, says Forestry England expert.

Pumpkins are an autumn staple especially at Halloween, but the question about what to do with the carved Jack ’o’ lanterns once the spooky season is over is often asked.

Following research suggesting that around eight million pumpkins could be used during this year’s celebration, Forestry England are asking people to ignore online tips and tricks suggesting to toss their pumpkins in the woods for wildlife and instead have offering some great alternatives.

Kate Wollen, assistant ecologist at Forestry England, said: “We see many posts on social media encouraging people to leave pumpkins in the woods for wildlife to eat, but please do not do this.

“Pumpkins are not natural to the woodland and while some wildlife may enjoy a tasty snack it can make others, such as hedgehogs, very poorly.

“Feeding pumpkins, or any other food in the forest, to birds, foxes, badgers, deer, and boar can make them unwell and can spread disease.

“Pumpkins are also often decorated and have things such as candles in them. Animals eating the pumpkins could then eat a foreign object and this could kill them.”

To protect our forest wildlife and to help reduce food waste, Kate suggests using the flesh to make a delicious pumpkin soup or adding discarded pumpkin waste to compost to make a rich soil amendment for use in the garden.

“There are lots of great ways to use your pumpkin after Halloween at home, and my favourites are to use the flesh to make a hearty soup, or to add to my compost,” said Kate.

“They are 90% water so are a great composting material, adding a great source of nitrogen and moisture to my compost bin each year.”

Here are some further ways to give a pumpkin a new lease of life:

Pumpkin face mask

Loaded with vitamins A, C and E that are all known to fight wrinkles, pumpkins are excellent for the skin.

Pumpkin bird feeder

The tough outer skin can be recycled to make a temporary bird feeder for the garden.

Simply cut the tough outer skin in half, pierce a hole in the top, gently loop wire through and use this to hang your pumpkin from a tree branch.

Once hung, fill the pit with bird feed and make sure to remove the feeder when the pumpkin starts to rot.

Make a pumpkin bowl

Pumpkins also make a great thematic bowl for putting sweets in to had out to trick or treaters — simply clean a carved pumpkin, line with a cloth, and fill it up.

Pass along your pumpkins

There are some places that will take unwanted pumpkin. Check to see if you they can be donated to zoos, animal shelters, farms, or community gardens as they could be used as snack for the right animals or compost.