Fall Front Porch Ideas that will carry you through Thanksgiving!

Wether you have a sweeping southern style porch or just a front stoop. There is something so rich and satisfying about a little fall decor for your outside entryway. After living overseas for a few years in an area where Halloween is more of a religious holiday and there’s no trick-or-treating or outdoor decor, I’m ready to get down to some good ole American fall front porch ideas.

This post is for the porch you have fun decorating one crisp afternoon and it takes you all the way through Thanksgiving. If you want some Halloween decor ideas thrown in you can find that here.

After decorating so many outdoor entryways over the years with budgets that went from “If it isn’t free, you aren’t getting it” to “Grab the Pottery Barn catalog- we’re doing the porch!”, the actual items for the porch all boil down to about the same random list and the amount, type and expense are individual choices. Below is a list of items to get your juices flowing.

Fall Porch Ideas Basic List

• Pumpkins (varying colors and shapes add interest). Try Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes or specialty farms or nurseries near you for fresh pumpkins.
• Indian Corn
• Gourds- Try Hobby Lobby for beautiful gourds.
• Dried grasses
• Hay bales
• Wooden crates
• Bushel Baskets
• Woven baskets
• Mums– (artificial linked) Try Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, or specialty farms or nurseries near you for fresh mums.
• Faux Autumn tree or sprigs– Hobby Lobby is great for these too.
• Corn Stalks- Try Facebook Marketplace, Local farms, Home Depot, Lowes
• Tin pail, bucket or round tub
• Planters (terracotta, woven or modern statement styles)
• Lanterns
• Electric Pillar Candles
• Fall Wreath Shop Hobby Lobby for beautiful fall wreaths as well.
• Door Mat (I like to layer a larger outdoor rug underneath for a pretty, polished look.)

You probably already have most of what you need to create a really pretty entry way. Gather and/or purchase the items you choose for your own home and set aside a few hours to enjoy putting it all together. Alternatively, you can begin with what you have on hand and just add a few pieces as you get them.

Tips for pulling together your fall front porch

Odd numbers and varying heights, sizes and colors often create the most beautiful and distinct designs.

Use Baskets, crates, upside down planters etc to set your pumpkins at different heights.

If you have seating, use that in your design as well – add a pumpkin to a bench, a small pot of mums on a chair, etc.

The Mums That Make It to Thanksgiving

Most mums on a fall porch are dead by Halloween, and it usually isn’t the gardener’s fault. The pots stacked outside the grocery store are often florist mums, grown to bloom once and be tossed. The ones worth buying are labeled hardy or garden mums, and they’re usually sold at garden centers and nurseries. When you’re choosing a plant, look for one that’s mostly tight buds with just a few flowers open. It looks less impressive in the parking lot, but it’s still blooming in November while the fully open plant next to it is finished before the month is out.

I buy mums that are in different stages of bloom to get the most out of them. Hang them or set them among the pumpkins for splashes of fall color. You can also get these weatherproof/IV resistant artificial mums for your entryway or mailbox.

The real problem is the pot. Mums come root-bound in thin plastic nursery containers that dry out in a single sunny afternoon. When I get them home, I either repot them into something a size bigger or set the whole nursery pot inside a larger planter and tuck moss around the top to hold in moisture.

Pro tip: Water at the soil, not over the flowers, and check every day. If the pot feels light when you tip it, it’s thirsty.

Placement matters more than people think. A mum in full afternoon sun on a south-facing step burns through its flowers twice as fast as one that gets morning light and afternoon shade. Pinch off spent blooms as they fade and the plant keeps pushing out new ones. On the first nights that dip below freezing, throw an old sheet over them or pull the pots against the house.

From October 1 to Thanksgiving, With One Swap

I decorate my porch once, in layers, so on November 1 takes twenty minutes. The base stays up all season: mums, uncarved pumpkins in multiple colors, dried grasses or corn stalks, and a fall wreath. An uncarved pumpkin can last well into November if the stem stays on and it’s out of the rain, so none of it needs to come down after Halloween.

The Halloween layer is small and all of it is removable. I carve pumpkins no more than three or four days before Halloween, because a carved pumpkin starts collapsing within the week.

On November 1, the Halloween layer comes off and the carved pumpkins go straight into the compost or in the U.S. we can toss them out for the deer. I also pull any mum that has given up. And refresh any gourds or extra pumpkins needed.

The Layering Formula

The porches that look pulled together follow a few simple rules, and none of them require a big budget. The first is height. Every grouping needs something tall, something in the middle and something low.

The second rule is odd numbers. Vary the sizes within the group, and vary the colors too. One cream pumpkin among the orange ones gives the eye somewhere to rest.

The third is the ground. A coir mat layered over a outdoor rug makes even a small front step look finished, and it’s the easiest upgrade on this list. A lit path matters more once the clocks fall back, so a lantern or a solar light on the steps does two jobs at once.

If you’re decorating this week, start with the base: a hardy mum, three pumpkins in three sizes and a good mat. Add the rest when you find it. Everything I used can be found here.

If you’re planning on a Halloween party this year, check out this post with the spooky food, the table and the recipes. Read it here > Halloween Party Ideas

Tell me about your porch in the comments. I’d love to know what you put out first every fall.

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