PUMPKIN CO.The fall calendar, as it runs here.
Autumn is short here, and most of the dates are fixed for you. Our first delivery windows open in mid-September, and the last displays come down around Thanksgiving.
In the Philadelphia suburbs, fall displays go up between mid-September and late October, which is when Penn Pumpkin Co's porch delivery windows run. Displays carry through Halloween into November, and we collect around Thanksgiving where removal has been booked.
The season, week by week.
Two of these dates are ours. The rest belong to the calendar and do not move for anybody.
| When | What is happening | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Through August | Nothing is delivered yet. | The month to pick your week. |
| Mid-September | Our porch delivery windows open. | The earliest a display can be in place, and the longest season available. |
| Late September to mid-October | The middle of the delivery window. | A display placed now has several weeks in hand before Halloween. |
| Late October | The last delivery windows. | The freshest pumpkins on Halloween, and the shortest run. |
| October 31 | Halloween. | The fixed point every other date is measured against. |
| November | Displays carry on past Halloween. | A whole-pumpkin display suits a Thanksgiving table as well as an October one. |
| Around Thanksgiving | We collect displays where removal was booked. | The end of the season, and the point at which the pumpkins go to a local animal farm. |
What the calendar fixes in place.
Four general facts about the region and the calendar. Between them they decide most of the season.
- Halloween is October 31, and Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November. Roughly four weeks apart, and those four weeks are the back half of the season.
- Published climate normals put the region's average first freeze between mid-October and early November, running later close to the city and earlier on higher, more open ground. A regional average covers a lot of ground, and your own street can fall either side of it.
- Pennsylvania school years generally open in late August or early September and break for Thanksgiving. October is the first full month with the year properly under way, so a lot of it lands there.
- October has four or five weekends. Every group planning a fall event is drawing from that same short list.
How it looks from your county.
Where you are does not move the calendar. It moves two numbers: the drive time from our Worcester base, and the road miles, which decide the porch delivery fee. Both are measured town by town.
| Area | Places measured | Drive time from Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | 55 | 9 to 45 minutes |
| Bucks County | 37 | 34 to 69 minutes |
| Chester County | 39 | 16 to 84 minutes |
| Delaware County | 41 | 21 to 53 minutes |
| Philadelphia | 23 | 30 to 52 minutes |
| The Main Line | 23 | 18 to 39 minutes |
Porch delivery is free within 45 minutes of Worcester on our three larger packages. The Main Line row overlaps the county rows, because the line runs through several of them.
The one tradeoff.
Every timing question for a porch display comes down to the same choice. An early window gives you more weeks with the display up. A late one puts the freshest pumpkins on your steps for Halloween itself. You cannot have both.
For an organization the tradeoff is tighter. A school or office event competes for a finite number of October dates against every other group that wants one, and there the school day sets the constraint. How October dates get taken, and how a party fits a school day.
The rest of this guide.
Questions about timing.
When should fall decorations go up in the Philadelphia suburbs?
Our porch delivery windows run from mid-September through late October, and you choose your week when you book. An earlier window gives you more weeks with the display; a later one puts fresher pumpkins on the steps for Halloween.
How long does a fall display stay up?
Through Halloween and past it. We collect displays around Thanksgiving when removal has been added to the booking, so a September delivery is up for roughly two months.
When should a school or office book a fall event?
Earlier than feels necessary. October has four or five weekends and a fixed number of school days, and every group wanting a fall event is drawing from that same short month.
Does where I live change the timing?
The calendar is the same everywhere. Two numbers change: the drive time from our Worcester base, and the road miles, which decide the porch delivery fee.
The calendar is short. Pick your week.
Check a date for a pumpkin-patch party, or request porch decorating for your home.
Check a date