Serving Wildlife Pumpkins

/ Bluebird Gardens/

Squirrels have nicely, and thoroughly, cleaned out pumpkin seeds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Hey Charlotte, you’ve inspired me not to trash my pumpkins and to feed them to the resident wildlife. Do I need to cut the tops off, remove seeds, bake it? Just kidding, I have pumpkins left over from Halloween. Now what? — Esther

Serving Wildlife Pumpkins

Hi Esther,

Glad you are not tossing out your pumpkins and instead are making good use of them. Your wildlife will appreciate having the food going into winter.

First, you don’t have to do anything to the pumpkins themselves. Squirrels will find them and make quick work of cutting into, removing, and storing the pumpkin seeds.

Your job is to find a spot behind your property where wildlife can easily and safely access the pumpkins without being a bother to your neighbors.

I don’t have neighbors on three sides so I pile my pumpkins at the back of my property near a winter feeding station. I keep a salt block there as well as a bird feeder I fill with cracked corn for deer and wild turkey. Squirrels can help themselves, too; this is basically a cracked corn dispenser. Water is nearby in a pond.

I pile my pumpkins near the winter feeding station, a bird feeder I fill with cracked corn for deer and wild turkeys. The window frame in the back will be a cold frame for winter planting. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Although I see a variety of wildlife in my garden through the year, I try not to feed them until winter, when food is scarce. I also try to keep the food away from other possible edible candidates. This sweet Woodland Friends Throw captures Santa feeding wildlife. I used one of these throws for an office Christmas scene when I used to work for the Forest Service.

Finally consider how safe a wild animal would be where you plan to place the food. You want to give them some protective cover without enticing them into an area where they may get caught.

And oh, make sure you don’t mind having pumpkins growing there next year. It hasn’t happened in my spot yet but I’m planning to plant pumpkin seeds there next year.

Now pull out those binoculars and have fun keeping an eye on your feeding area, you may be surprised at what you will see!

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Charlotte