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4 Easy Halloween Decorations for Gardeners

1. Ghosts of Tomatoes Past

Everyone knows to watch out for vengeful spirits on Halloween night, but does anyone ever expect vegetable spirits? Probably not! It’s time to get one last use out of those tomato cages before storing them for the offseason. We’re going to make them into ghostly lawn ornaments:

1. Gather up your tomato cages, some old white sheets, a plastic bag of fallen leaves, black construction paper, safety pins, clothespins, and scissors.
2. Cut out a set of ghostly eyes and a mouth from the black paper for each ghost you want to make. Then, use safety-pins to attach a set of eyes and a mouth to the middle of each sheet.
3. Pick out a few spots on your lawn and stick the tomato cages firmly into the ground. Place a bag of fallen leaves on top of the cage (to serve as a head), then drape the sheets over the cages so that the ghost faces forward. 
4. Finally, use clothespins to secure the sheets to the cages. This will ensure that your ghosts billow in the wind but don’t blow away.
5. Optional: Attach glow sticks or Christmas lights to the inside of your tomato cages to make the ghosts glow!

2. Disembodied Glowing Eyes

Create some scary glowing eyes using nothing more than recycled toilet paper rolls and glow sticks. This is a great way to add a spooky element to your entryway. Here’s how to make your own pair of disembodied glowing eyes.

You’ll need a cardboard toilet paper roll, small scissors, duct tape, and a glow stick (find at Target, Walmart, or craft store).

1. Take an empty toilet paper roll.
2. Draw big eyes on the toilet paper cardboard.
3. Using small scissors, cut out the eyes, then tape one end of the tube shut with the duct tape.
4. Crack a glow stick bracelet and put it inside the toilet paper roll, then cover both sides with duct tape.
5. Put eyes in your bushes, set on a tree branch, or set in a stone wall, and voila! Disembodied glowing eyes!

The Haunted Wheelbarrow

Want to trick your kids into doing yard work and make a cool Halloween decoration at the same time? Well, the haunted wheelbarrow is for you:

1. You’ll need a wheelbarrow, an old, long-sleeved shirt, a pair of gloves, safety pins, a pile of leaves (or newspaper), and a jack-o’-lantern.
2. Fill the gloves with leaves or crumpled newspaper and attach them to the sleeves of the shirt using the safety pins. Then, fill up the shirt sleeves to the shoulders, leaving the body of the shirt empty.
3. Next, lay the shirt in the wheelbarrow and cover most of it with leaves, letting the arms and hands stick out.
4. Finally, place your jack-o’-lantern in the wheelbarrow, arranging it so that it looks like a pumpkin head and two arms are emerging from the wheelbarrow!

Pretty spooky! Who knows what else could be lurking under those leaves? (And who dares to find out?)

The Classic Scarecrow 

This decoration pretty much speaks for itself. (Hopefully not literally, as that would be much scarier than intended.) A scarecrow is always an effective decoration for Halloween—especially when the trick-or-treaters can’t be 100% sure whether it’s actually a scarecrow or someone dressed as a scarecrow.

1. First, raid your closet for some old clothes. You’ll want a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves, boots, and a hat (optional).
2. Unless you’re going for the “headless horseman” theme, your scarecrow will need a head. An old pillowcase stuffed with newspaper, a jack-o’-lantern, or a melon all work well as a scarecrow’s noggin. 
3. Stuff the clothes with straw or hay to give your scarecrow some mass. If you don’t have straw or hay on hand, you can use fallen leaves (dry ones, preferably), grass clippings, or even crumpled newspaper.
4. Once your scarecrow is sufficiently stuffed, “stitch” the clothes together using safety pins to make sure that none of the stuffing falls out.
5. Now, find a place to put your scarecrow. Should he be stargazing in a beach chair on the lawn? Or seated serenely on your porch with a bowl of candy in hand? It’s up to you!

Using these simple decorations, you can create a haunting Halloween scene in no time without breaking the bank!

Be sure to let us know your favorite quick and easy Halloween crafts in the comments below. Happy Halloween!

Learn More

Check out our main Halloween page for fun facts, folklore, and more! 

Also, see a list of our favorite Halloween Treats and Desserts for easy Halloween recipes.