Fall Outdoor Decor Ideas For Halloween And Thanksgiving

I kept picking up pumpkins from Trader Joe’s all October, and somewhere along the way, our courtyard became our own little pumpkin patch. These fall outdoor decor ideas are everything I did to bring it together, and the best part is they work for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. After Halloween, I just take out the skeletons and tiny skulls, and everything else stays put.

I’m slowly working on turning our courtyard into a little modern French courtyard, and I hope by next fall it will be the complete French courtyard I’ve always wanted. We’re only halfway through the design, but these pumpkins brought so much color and that fall feeling to the courtyard, and we already love it so much.

Below are the 11 decorating ideas I used in our courtyard, plus how I switch it over for Thanksgiving.

1. Grocery Store Pumpkins Are All You Need, No Farm Trip

I love using fresh pumpkins for fall, because nothing looks quite like the real thing. I get mine from Trader Joe’s every year, and this October I came home with more every time I went. Big orange ones, small yellow and green ones, butternut squash, and striped gourds. By the end of the week, I had enough to create our own little pumpkin patch right in the courtyard.

I love how many different sizes and colors they have, so it’s easy to make the whole display look full and natural. You don’t need to buy everything at once for this look. I liked building it slowly over a few days or a couple of weeks, and grocery store pumpkins are an easy way to add lots of color to your outdoor decor.

2. Line Or Stack Faux Hay Bales

I have always loved hay bales for fall. A couple of years ago, I decorated our courtyard with real ones, and it turned out so fun and cute. But real hay bales are so messy, and I regretted it.

This year I found faux hay bales that don’t shed like the real ones, and they turned out fantastic. I started with just a few in the corners, then kept adding more until they lined both sides of the walkway to the front door.

If you want it to look like a pumpkin patch, line the hay bales along your walkway or stack them to create different levels. Then set pumpkins on every level, with the bigger ones on the bottom and the smaller ones on top, so it looks full from every side.

Our courtyard is still not done. We’re still designing it, so right now it’s mostly bare walls and turf. While we wait on the design, I wanted to add something to bring in color, beauty, and that fall feeling, and the hay bales did exactly that. I shared more ways to style them in my post on decorating hay bales for fall.

3. Mix Pumpkins, Squash, And Gourds

Each hay bale has one big orange pumpkin as the main piece. Then I filled in around it with butternut squash, striped gourds, and small yellow and green pumpkins.

Mixing sizes and colors is what keeps it from looking flat. I made every bale a little different, but I repeated the same pieces so the whole walkway still looks pulled together.

4. Tuck In Orange Berry Stems For Color

Orange berry stems are such a small thing, but they add so much color. I tucked them in between the pumpkins on each hay bale, and they make the whole display look fuller.

The orange berries also pick up the pumpkins’ color, so everything feels like it belongs together. If you use faux berry stems, you can reuse them every autumn.

5. Match Your Garland And Wreath

Our wreath and matching garland are from Balsam Hill. We’ve had them for the past couple of years, so they’re sold out now, but I linked something similar you can get this year. Balsam Hill has many different collections, and the quality is really nice. If you take care of them, they last a long time. There are other options too, like this, this, or this.

Matching the garland and wreath makes the door look finished, not busy. The warm orange and red tones really pop against the black iron and white stucco. I love the apples because they feel like fall, not just Halloween, so you can leave them up through Thanksgiving.

6. Switch Your Planters To Black

This is my favorite Halloween touch. We have two tall planters by the front door that used to be white, and this year I changed them to black. I wanted them to look a little moodier for Halloween, and a darker color felt right for fall, too.

I filled them with orange berry stems and black twig branches, then added skeletons climbing out of the top and hung mini skeletons on the front of each planter. You can also add an orange wreath around the top of the pot and set the skeleton in it so it looks like it’s climbing out.

For one more little Halloween detail, I tucked a tiny white skull into each hay bale between the pumpkins. After Halloween, I take out the skeletons and skulls, and the berry stems and branches stay for Thanksgiving.

7. Fill Pots With Orange And Burgundy Mums

Mums are the easiest fall flowers for outdoor decor, and I went with orange and burgundy so they match everything else. The burgundy adds depth, so the courtyard doesn’t feel like too much orange.

Mums also look just as right for Thanksgiving as they do for Halloween. I have a whole post on decorating with mums and pumpkins if you want more ideas for your porch or garden.

8. Add Black Lanterns For A Cozy Glow

Black lanterns are one of my favorite ways to make outdoor decor feel cozy, especially at night. They go so well with our black iron door and gates.

The nice thing about lanterns is that they aren’t seasonal. You can use them for fall, Christmas, and spring, and just change what’s around them.

9. Dress Up The Gates With Wreaths And Pumpkins

Our courtyard has black wrought-iron gates, and I didn’t want to leave them bare. I hung fall apple wreaths on them that match the wreath and garland on the front door, and set pumpkins at the bottom of each gate.

Matching the wreaths on the gates and the front door ties the whole courtyard together and brings fall color from the street to the door. The gates are the first thing you see when you walk up, so they set the tone for everything else.

10. Add Corn Stalks By The Door

I tried corn stalks in our courtyard, but the color didn’t match the rest of our decor, so I removed them. That said, they’re such an easy way to add height and that harvest look. Tie a bundle on each side of the front door or a gate post, and set a few pumpkins at the bottom. They work for Halloween and Thanksgiving, so you can leave them up all season without changing a thing.

11. Create A Cozy Seating Corner

You won’t see this one in my pictures, since we’re in the middle of making some design changes to our courtyard and I didn’t want to add a sitting area until it’s all done. But I still love this idea.

If you have a bench or a couple of chairs outside, a few fall pillows and a throw blanket make it feel so cozy. Pick colors that match the rest of your decor, like orange, rust, or cream. Add a lantern and a small pumpkin or two next to it, and you have a little spot to sit with a cup of coffee on a cool fall morning.

How I Decorate Between Halloween And Thanksgiving

After Halloween, I take out the skeletons from the planters, the mini skeletons and the tiny skulls on the hay bales. That’s it. Everything else stays.

The pumpkins, hay bales, berry stems, garland, wreaths, mums and lanterns all still work for Thanksgiving, because they feel like harvest, not Halloween. If you want to add a little something, you could fill the planters with more berry stems or a few wheat stems where the skeletons used to be. No big decor change, and the courtyard still looks ready for the rest of the season.

Fall Outdoor Decor Ideas FAQ

When Is It Appropriate To Decorate For Fall?

Most people start decorating for fall in September or early October. I started picking up pumpkins at the beginning of October, so our courtyard came together little by little through the month.

How Do You Decorate Your Home Between Halloween And Thanksgiving?

Start with decor that feels like fall and harvest, like pumpkins, hay bales, mums, berry stems and apple wreaths. Then add a few Halloween pieces you can easily take out, like skeletons and small skulls. After Halloween, remove those, and the rest of your decorations work right through Thanksgiving.

Are Trader Joe’s Pumpkins Good For Decorating?

Yes. Trader Joe’s has a nice mix of big orange pumpkins, small pumpkins, squash, and gourds, and they’re affordable. Picking up a few every time you shop is an easy way to build a full pumpkin display over a few weeks.

How Long Do Pumpkins Last Outside?

Uncarved pumpkins can last several weeks to a couple of months outside, as long as they stay dry and out of strong sun and heat. Check them every week or so and swap out any that start to get soft.

What Are Some Simple Outdoor Decor Ideas For Fall?

Some of the easiest ways to decorate outside are a wreath on the front door, a few pumpkins by the entrance, mums in planters, and lanterns by the door. Hay bales and a fall garland add even more of a harvest feel.

What Colors Work Best For Fall Outdoor Decorations?

Orange, burgundy, gold, cream, and green are classic fall colors. If your home has black iron or dark doors like ours, orange and burgundy stand out really well against them.

How Do You Make Halloween Decor Look Pretty Instead Of Scary?

Keep the Halloween pieces small and mix them in with fall decor. Tiny white skulls between pumpkins or skeletons climbing out of planters with berry stems feel fun and pretty, not scary.

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