16 of the most realistic fake pumpkins for all budgets perfect for low maintenance fall front porch decor.
I’ve officially had enough. Enough of tossing rotten pumpkins after only 3 weeks. Enough of cleaning pumpkin goo off of our porch steps.
DEFINITELY enough of spending more money to replace said rotten pumpkins because it’s hot as Hades until November here. To get ready for fall, we’ve learned fake is the way to go with our outdoor pumpkin decor.
Our front door has been updated since we found all of these faux pumpkins 2 years ago, but we are still SO happy with them!
I was on a mission to find the most realistic pumpkins for a “final straw” solution. Because your girl loves the look front porch steps filled with pumpkins but not enough to keep up with the real deal ones.
Can you even believe these pumpkins are FAKE?!
Every single one is an artificial pumpkin!
Best Artificial Pumpkins That Look Real
They’ve really come a long way lately. If there’s anything I dislike more than a rotten gourd hanging out on our steps, it’s a super fake looking plastic pumpkin that blows away at even a slight whisper of a breeze.
These fake pumpkins I bought for our porch are heavy enough to withstand usual everyday winds and look like we picked them out at the pumpkin patch. But they are still lighter than real pumpkins making them easier to maneuver for decorating.
TIP: To keep foam or plastic pumpkins from blowing away, you can stake them to the ground or weigh them down.
UPDATE 2 years later: After having these front porch pumpkins outdoors for 2 fall seasons, they still look perfect even after being hit with all kinds of weather.
Even though our fall porch with real pumpkins was pretty a couple seasons ago, I do not miss having rotting, gooey pumpkins around our front door.
Real Pumpkins vs Faux Pumpkins – Which Is Better?
Fair warning: Several of these super realistic faux pumpkins are on the pricier side because they are made of resin and meant to last in the elements. These are only worth the investment if you have a tradition of paying for a real pumpkin every fall to use as decor without plans for pumpkin carving.
However, I figured if I sprung for these and they lasted me a decade (or more), they would pay for themselves and require less effort than if I bought real pumpkins that I’d have to replace every fall (or even twice a season).
Faux Pumpkins
- Expensive in the beginning but budget friendly over time if you normally buy real pumpkins every fall
- Require less time and energy to replace
- Don’t attract wildlife
- Are not biodegradable but can be recycled
Real Pumpkins
- Inexpensive in the beginning but cost more that faux pumpkins collectively over time
- Require more time and energy to replace than faux pumpkins
- Edible for wildlife
- Are biodegradable
If you usually buy a bunch of real pumpkins every year, these might be worth the investment for you, but I know they’re not for everybody.
Real Pumpkin Care Tips
Don’t worry though; we still plan to get a real pumpkin for our girls to carve before Halloween.
There are ways to help real pumpkins last longer like this 1 minute trick to keep pumpkins from rotting to add a week or two to its life span. But it can only do so much in the super hot, humid climates like ours.
To increase the lifespan of real pumpkins on your porch, you can also:
- Give pumpkins a bleach bath
- Wipe down pumpkins with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil
- Fully rinse and dry pumpkins inside and out after carving
I scoured every website and online shop I could to find all of the best fake pumpkins and gourds that look realistic for all budgets, if you run into the same problem pumpkin rotting every fall. Not all of the ones in the list below are made of resin like mine, but the ones that aren’t are less expensive.
I’m not usually a fan of pumpkin decor all over the inside of our house, but for outdoor fall decorating, I can’t get enough of them!
My favorites are the ones that are so “ugly” they’re pretty. The more lumps, bumps, and imperfections, the better.
20 Most Realistic Artificial Pumpkins
Click any image below to shop.
Porch Pumpkin Decorating Tips
- Buy orange or white pumpkins all in one color for a simple, monochromatic look.
- Buy multiple colors and pumpkins with speckles for a dramatic, eclectic look.
- Get a few assorted sizes in large, medium, and small pumpkins so you can vary their heights on steps or stack them.
- Even though resin pumpkins are more expensive, they last longer than plastic, so they’re often worth the extra expense when you decorate with them every fall.
Even after seeing them up close, our neighbors who came by to visit thought they were real.
You can see more Fall Porch Decor ideas below too.
Fall Porch Decor Ideas
More Fall Porch Accents
Other than the faux pumpkins, I just stuck a pair of mums in planters I’ve had for years and added this realistic fall wreath on the front door. (Now, if I could just find realistic mums after I inevitably kill these in a couple of weeks, this porch might have a chance of lasting until November.)
I get so many questions about this storm door every time I share our front porch. I believe it’s original to our house from 1960, but you can ask the Lowe’s desk in the windows and doors department about ordering a custom storm door like it.
How to Make Artificial Wreaths Look Realistic
You can see 20 of the Best Fall Wreaths for Under $100 here.
The trick to make fall wreaths look more realistic is to “fluff” your wreath before hanging it by bending the wire in the faux stems all different ways so it looks full and natural.
Our sad little flower beds in the front of our house need a lot of love since they were destroyed during a huge foundation repair job last year, but maybe the vibrant fall porch decor distracts from that a bit, right?
That’s my excuse anyway. 😉
Our limewashed brick needs a little touching up too because of the not-so-pretty repair job.
Do you go all out for fall with real or faux pumpkin decorations outdoors?
We’re not big on outdoor Halloween decorations, so this setup is perfect for us from September to November for Thanksgiving decor with a jack-o-lantern and maybe some vinyl cutout bats to temporarily stuck to the brick for a tiny little hint of spooky.
Now if only there were realistic fall colored faux mums and corn stalks we’d be set on no-hassle curb appeal.
More Pumpkin Decor Ideas
Modern Faux Painted Pumpkins 3 Ways
Wire Basket and Bundt Pan Pumpkins
Simple DIY Fall Centerpiece Ideas + the Best Fall Branches
DIY Fall Decor Ideas to Create Cozy Home Vibes
