How Many Pumpkins Do You Need for Your Front Porch?
Every fall we get the same question by DM, email, and text:
"I sent you a photo of my porch — how many pumpkins do I actually need?"
Here's how we think about it — and how you can size a display yourself if you're DIY-ing it, or size up to the right package if you're booking with us.
The three variables that decide pumpkin count
1. Porch footprint. A 4-foot stoop can't hold what a 12-foot covered porch can. Measure your usable styling zone — not the full porch, but the area flanking the door where a display actually reads.
2. Layer count. A styled display isn't a row of pumpkins. It's typically three to five layers: hay bale or crate risers at the back, large statement pumpkins on top, mid-sized pumpkins in themiddle band, mini pumpkins spilling to the edges, and mums or trailing greens filling the negative space. Every layer adds count.
3. Statement pieces. One 30-lb Cinderella pumpkin will do the work of eight small ones — visually. Statement pumpkins reduce the count you need but increase the sourcing budget.
Rough starting counts by porch type
Stoop or townhome entry (up to 6 ft wide): 18–25 pumpkins, 1–2 mums, no hay bale.
Standard colonial single-door porch (6–10ft): 30–45 pumpkins, 2–4 mums, 1 hay bale, 1–2 statement heirlooms.
Wide double-door / crasman porch (10–14ft): 45–70 pumpkins, 4–6 mums, 2 hay bales, 2–3 statement heirlooms.
Wraparound or estate porch (14+ ft): 70+ pumpkins, 6+ mums, 2–3 hay bales, statement pieces at both entry columns.
These are our starting points, not rules. Every install we do is styled to the actual porch — not a formula.
The pumpkin varieties we actually use
Not every pumpkin belongs on a designed porch.
Our sourcing mix usually includes:
Cinderella / Rouge Vif d'Étampes — flat, ribbed, deep orange. The statement piece.
Fairytale (Musquée de Provence) — tan, bronze, dramatic ribs.
Knucklehead — warty, textured, painterly.
Jarrahdale — blue-grey. Adds a neutral we can't fake.
Ghost / Casper — clean white.
Peanut / Galeux d'Eysines — pale pink, textured.
Mini stripes, mini whites, jack-be-littles — for the trailing edges.
If you're DIY-ing, buy fewer big statement heirlooms and more mid-sized supporting pumpkins than you think you'll need. If you're booking with us, you don't have to think about any of this.
If you want us to size it for you
Fill out the form on our Home Page to send us a photo of your porch and we'll tell you which package fits — or design a custom one.
Our Fall 2026 booking opens Monday, August 10.
