A Seasonal Compost Party: Pumpkin Smash!

Each year more than a billion pounds of pumpkin are tossed into the trash where their adorable carved faces turn into a truly terrifying amount of methane. Luckily, Friendship Woodridge provides our school community and neighbors with a more eco friendly alternative. Each year we host Pumpkin Smash to allow students, parents, teachers, and community members a chance to sustainably dispose of their pumpkins, move their bodies, and express some big feelings by hurling gourds at the ground. 

Every October, the Woodridge community members with pumpkins on display receive a door knocker informing them of when they can swing by the garden to drop off pumpkins to compost. We allow drop off by community and school members from the beginning of November through the first week of December so those with whole pumpkins can keep their fall decor through the Thanksgiving holiday. After the drop-off window closes, the fun begins! 

Parents, scholars, and teachers come together in the garden for one purpose: TO SMASH! Overhead throws, boot stomps, shovel stabs, and sledgehammer swings work well for cracking pumpkins in half. Then the seeds are scooped out by hand by our younger scholars before they get an opportunity to start the ripping and chopping and tearing process. Pumpkin chunks must be smaller than a medium sized hand before they go into the compost and our first, second, and third grade scholars take this rule very seriously. All of Pumpkin Smash is one big frenzy of family fun that’s good for the body, mind, soul, and best of all, the planet! 

If you’re interested in starting a pumpkin smash at your school and want some tips and tricks, you can email me at gcortez@friendshipschools.org! If you’re looking for somewhere to dispose of your pumpkins without the smashing, check out the https://zerowaste.dc.gov/ website for compost drop off spots around the city!

-Gina Cortez, Friendship Woodridge School Garden Manager