Care for your setup.
Everything we place on your porch is yours to keep. A few minutes a week will keep the mums blooming and the pumpkins firm all the way to Thanksgiving.
Mums
Potted mums are thirsty and love light. With a little attention they'll bloom for six weeks or more.
Check the soil every morning
Potted mums dry out fast. Press a finger an inch into the soil — if it's dry, water slowly at the base until it drains from the bottom. In warm early-fall weather that's usually daily; on cool, cloudy days every 2–3 days. Never let them wilt, but don't leave them sitting in a saucer of water.
Give them 4–6 hours of sun
Morning sun is ideal. If your porch is shaded all day, rotate pots to a sunnier step for a few hours.
Pinch spent blooms
Snip faded flowers at the stem to redirect energy into new buds and keep the plant looking full.
Cover on frosty nights
Below 32°F, drape a sheet over them or tuck pots against the house. Uncover in the morning. Mums tolerate a light frost, but a hard freeze will end the blooms.
Pumpkins & gourds
Heirloom pumpkins are hardy, but heat, moisture and hungry critters shorten their life. These habits keep them firm through November.
Keep them dry and off wet surfaces
Set pumpkins on hay, wood or a doormat rather than damp concrete. Wipe off rain and dew when you can.
Avoid carving
Uncarved pumpkins last 8–12 weeks; carved ones only days. Paint or vinyl is a longer-lasting way to decorate.
Deter squirrels and deer
A light spritz of diluted vinegar or a dab of peppermint oil on the stem end helps. Reapply after rain.
Mind the freeze–thaw
Repeated hard freezes soften pumpkins. On very cold nights, tuck the smaller ones under cover and set them back out in the morning.
Hay bales & corn stalks
Rustic accents need the least care — just keep them dry and secure.
Shield from soaking rain
Wet hay molds and heats up. If a storm is coming, move bales under the eave or cover with a tarp.
Tie stalks to a post
Twine or jute around a railing keeps bundles upright in Utah wind. Re-tighten after gusty days.
Questions about your display? We're a message away at pumpkinandporchhelp@gmail.com.
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