The hazards that aren't obvious
Glitter is the one most people forget. It washes off decorations in the first rain and goes straight into soil and drains, and it never breaks down. Choose matt paper and paint instead, or make peace with a slightly less sparkly step. Helium balloons released or simply escaped end up in hedgerows and waterways as fragments that look like food to birds and fish. Battery tea lights are far safer around dry leaves and curious noses than real flames, and the cheap wire that comes with fairy lights should be run along a fixed surface rather than looped loosely through planting where a bird could get a foot caught.
Then there's the gate. If you decorate the garden, check the escape routes you've accidentally blocked. A hedgehog travelling through gardens at night needs a clear run along the base of fences, and a wall of pumpkins, crates or netting across that gap is a dead end at the exact time of year when they're trying to find somewhere to overwinter.
What to do with the pumpkins
A carved pumpkin left on the step is fine for a few days. A carved pumpkin left on the step until mid-November turns into a slumped, mouldy mess that attracts everything in the neighbourhood and does nobody any favours. If you want to feed the garden, chop the uncarved, uncandled, un-sprayed flesh into pieces and leave it on a bird table or in a dish for a day or two, taking in what isn't eaten. Don't dump pumpkins in woodland or on verges; it looks generous and isn't, because it concentrates animals in one spot and leaves rot behind.
The better end for most of them is compost. Pumpkin breaks down fast and feeds a heap beautifully. Scoop out the seeds first, rinse them, and either roast them with salt and smoked paprika or dry them on a tray for the birds in January, when the garden is far hungrier than it is now.
Is it safe to leave carved pumpkins out for wildlife?
A carved pumpkin that has held a lit candle, been painted or sprayed, or sat out in the rain for a week isn't something to offer to animals. Fresh, plain pumpkin flesh in small amounts, put out deliberately and cleared away the next day, is a much kinder approach than leaving a decaying lantern on the path and calling it a gift.
What should I do with Halloween decorations on November 1?
Take down anything stringy, netted or loose the morning after, before a windy night turns it into debris across three gardens. Store what you can reuse somewhere dry and fully sealed, cut any netting into short pieces before it goes in the bin so it can't tangle anything on its way out, and give yourself a clear porch before the Christmas lights go up.
