Pros and cons to carving Halloween pumpkins early in NJ

October 1, 2025. Boy did the weather feel like fall on the first day of the month. Crisp, cool, dry air all throughout the state. And after so many days hitting around 80 with humidity, so many throughout New Jersey have been craving this.

In fact, the cooler air usually gets us motivated to start getting more of those Halloween decorations out. After all, we have less than a month to go now before the big day is here (and bonus, Halloween is on a Friday this year).

Part of those preparations include getting pumpkins as part of the decorations. And considering we're now in October, this is the right time to get them.

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With that said, it might not be a good idea to carve those pumpkins quite yet. Yes, it certainly adds to the scary factor, but it'll benefit you more by waiting if you're planning to have them up for Halloween.

The weather flip flop game

One big reason why carving now isn't such a good idea is the weather. Yes, those cooler days have finally arrived, but that heat and humidity will still battle it out.

When it gets warmer and more humid, those pesky bugs and flies will come out of the woodwork and damage your pumpkins from the inside out. Not only that, but the warmer weather will also accelerate the speed at which the pumpkin will decompose.

We learned that lesson the hard way ourselves and boy did those pumpkins stink and fall apart. It's just what happens when they're carved too early.

Although, there is one advantage. You at least get to enjoy those delicious pumpkin seeds sooner rather than later. Plus, if you don't mind carving pumpkins at different times, then you can always swap them out when one starts to get too old.

When to carve

Although they won't be displayed for as long, waiting until just a few days leading up to Halloween is best. Even up to a week beforehand should be good, permitting it's not too warm and humid of a week.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.