How to mail a pumpkin

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I’ve been sending pumpkins through the United States Postal System for a few years now. It’s a great way to send “fun” mail to friends and family across the country and the recipients always love it. Those with young children tell me that pumpkin mail prompts questions, conversation and curiosity.
It’s a twist on mailing a coconut from a tropical location. Being in the Midwest, I don’t have easy access to coconuts, but I do have pumpkins.
You can send these to family, friends, your child’s classroom, clients, college students, or even to your own home. It’s a fun family project that promotes writing skills, discussion about geography, and patience.
Real pumpkins can be sent to every state except for Hawaii, due to their agricultural restrictions. If the idea of sending real-life pumpkins through the mail makes you nervous or you’d like to send a pumpkin to Hawaii, visit the home décor or arts & crafts store to buy a “craft” pumpkin. These craft pumpkins are typically larger than pie pumpkins. They are made of a plastic hard foam material and they weigh less than real pumpkins because they are hollow. Because of this, the postage estimates may be different than listed here. If you’re going with a craft pumpkin, skip ahead to Step 4.
Here are steps I follow each year to ensure safe and successful travels:
Step 1: Find a pie pumpkin
Visit a garden center or a farmer’s market for pie pumpkins. While these are meant for eating, they are great for mailing because they are large enough for mailing labels but small enough to fit in most mailboxes. Look for one with a small stem without any dents or bruising.
Step 2: Trim the stem
If all of the pie pumpkins have large stems, then trim it down when you get home with a sharp, serrated knife or large scissors. I’m not sure how much mechanized processing odd-shaped pieces of mail go through, but you don’t want to your pumpkin falling apart in transit.
Step 3: Clean the pumpkin
Depending on how much dirt or mud your pumpkin has on it, then give it a quick rinse. Be sure to dry it thoroughly.
Step 4: Address the pumpkin
Use a permanent marker like a Sharpie to write the recipient’s address and your return address. Some years I write “fragile” in red marker on the pumpkin near the recipient’s address. I’m not sure if that helps, but I figure it can’t hurt. You can write a message, create an illustration, attach stickers or draw a face on the back of the pumpkin. If you run out of space, then don’t forget you can write on the bottom of the pumpkin too.
Step 5: Send it from the post office
You might be able to determine and print the postage at home, but mailing the pumpkin directly from the post office decreases the wear and tear that the pumpkin is subjected to through the postal system.
Mail it as early in the as you can so the pumpkin does not sit in a post office on a Sunday. The United States Postal Service is also closed and does not deliver mail on Columbus Day, the 2nd Monday of October.
Postage costs will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin, how far it will be traveling and how you send it. The post office can help you determine the best method of delivery. From Wisconsin, it is about $15 to send a pumpkin to the west coast and about $7 mail one to someone who lives in the same town as me.
Some post office clerks get a bit excited when see I’m mailing pumpkins. Some don’t bat an eye. It seems that they are trained for these non-traditional shaped items but they don’t always have people bring in such items.
Cross your fingers and wait
Pumpkins tend to take 1-2 days longer than a plain Jane envelope does to the same destination. (Yes, I’ve run experiments a few times, sending a card and a pumpkin on the same day to the same address.) So far, my pumpkins have all arrived to their destinations in one un-smashed piece.
Give it a try and see how many smiles you can send.

Jann Fujimoto, MS CCC-SLP is a mailer of pumpkins, speech-language pathologist and owner of SpeechWorks LLC, a provider of on-site speech therapy in Delafield, Dousman, Hartland, Watertown, Oconomowoc, and Pewaukee. SpeechWorks helps children become confident and competent communicators.