01 November 2023 , 07:00
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Getting together with your friends and family to carve pumpkins is one of the best parts of Halloween - just behind the rock solid excuse to eat the sweets and chocolate that don't get collected by trick or treater's from your neighbourhood, of course.
Even though the task can be a little messy as you scoop out the flesh of the fruit, it's well worth it to get to show off your scariest designs. Not to mention that the tradition started because it was said to keep any restless roaming spirits away during the spooky season, which has got to be worth it, even on the off chance.
Back when Halloween was known as Samhain, turnips were traditionally carved - if you've ever tried this you will know it's a much more physically demanding task with the root vegetable. These days, pumpkin lanterns with carved, gruesome expressions illuminated by tea lights are ubiquitous with Halloween, but there is one issue with this: how to safely dispose of your lantern once the festival has passed.
Many people assume that it's absolutely fine to leave their pumpkin outside, because as a fruit it's biodegradable, but this is a misconception even if it's a common one, with various charities imploring the public to dispose of their pumpkins carefully, because they can be a health hazard to some wildlife.
The Woodland Trust have said that people should avoid dumping their carved pumpkins in their woods, something that has occurred enough for the charity to repeatedly issue warnings over the behaviour. "For those of us who want to help local wildlife, leaving Halloween pumpkins in the woods as a tasty treat seems like a sustainable way to dispose of them," explains the charity on their website.
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"But they can make hedgehogs and other woodland animals seriously ill and upset the sensitive soils that trees need to grow. Please don't leave pumpkins in our woods." Instead the charity recommend making a pumpkin bird feeder for you garden, so it doesn't go to waste, while not causing harm to animals like hedgehogs, for which pumpkins can be deadly.
"Pumpkins take a long time to break down and as they rot, they damage delicate woodland ecosystems, attract rats and can be fatal to animals like hedgehogs," the charity have explained, recommending there are plenty of pumpkin recipes that you could use instead, or simply "pop it on your compost heap."
A spokesperson for the Woodland Trust has also been reported as advising that, if you're keen to put your pumpkin to sustainable use you can "bury it in your garden for worms and other invertebrates to enjoy." Pumpkins simply aren't suitable for animals like hedgehogs to eat, especially in large amounts, because they can cause diarrhoea and other symptoms that can have life-threatening consequences for the woodland creatures before they go into hibernation.
Do you have a story to tell? Email: emma.mackenzie@reachplc.com