The Journey of Porch Pumpkins After Harvest: A Feast for Cows — or Food for the Earth

As autumn fades and Thanksgiving approaches, pumpkins become a staple of the season. From festive decorations to delicious pies, these colorful gourds play a big role in our fall celebrations. But what happens to all those pumpkins when the festivities are over?

When pumpkin season comes to an end, your Blue Cottage Porch display doesn’t have to end up in the trash. If you choose our removal service, we return after the season, collect the pumpkins from your display, and take care of the rest.

From Your Porch to the Pasture

After we collect the pumpkins, we deliver them to a friend’s farm in Brenham, Texas, where they become a seasonal treat for the cows!

Area cows love to feast on end-of-season porch pumpkins.

Instead of sending hundreds of beautiful pumpkins to the landfill, we’re able to give them another purpose. The cows get to enjoy the pumpkins, and we get to wrap up the season in a way that feels a whole lot better than simply throwing them away.

And frankly, watching a cow discover a pumpkin is a pretty entertaining bonus.

Or Let Your Pumpkins Feed the Earth

Prefer to handle your pumpkins yourself? Composting is another great ending to their journey.

Pumpkins are organic material, which means they can break down and eventually become nutrient-rich compost that can be returned to gardens and soil. Composting also keeps organic waste out of landfills, where decomposition can produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

If you compost at home, breaking or cutting the pumpkins into smaller pieces will help them decompose more quickly. Just remember to remove candles, decorations, stickers or other non-compostable materials first.

The end result? This year's fall decorations can eventually help nourish next year's plants. Not a bad second act for a pumpkin.

A Sweeter — and Greener — Ending to Pumpkin Season

We love creating beautiful fall displays, but we also love knowing that when the season is over, those pumpkins don't necessarily have to become waste. Whether they're enjoyed by the cows on our friend's farm or returned to the earth through composting, keeping pumpkins out of the landfill gives them one more useful chapter. Compost helps build healthier soil, retain moisture and recycle nutrients back into the earth.

Our removal service means less work for you, less waste, and a pretty great day for some cows in Brenham.

From our porch to yours—and then back to the earth. 🎃🌎🐄