A practical fall porch comparison
Detroit Pumpkin Company vs Buying Pumpkins Yourself: Store, Farm Stand, or Full-Service Display
The pumpkins are only part of the decision. Think about the time and work you want to spend getting them onto your porch, too.
The short answer
Less cost, or less to do?
Buying pumpkins yourself at a store or Michigan farm stand costs less. Detroit Pumpkin Company costs more and does the whole job: design, delivery and installation are included in every display, you do not need to be home, and November removal is an optional add-on. Pick DIY if the lowest cost or the outing is the point; pick DPC for a finished, professionally designed porch without shopping, hauling or arranging, with cleanup available through optional removal.
Fall 2026 is fully booked. Fall 2027 booking opens July 15. Join the waitlist. For this season, a store or farm stand is the practical option.
Three ways to do fall
Pick the part you want to own.
Lowest cost per pumpkin
DIY from a store
Choose from what is in stock, bring it home and do the arranging yourself. It is the straightforward choice when keeping the spend low matters most.
You handle the cart, the car, the porch and the eventual cleanup.
A fall outing with more variety
Michigan farm stand
Farm stands and u-pick spots can offer Michigan-grown pumpkins and a wider mix of seasonal produce. The trip can be part of the fun.
You still choose, haul, arrange and take care of what is left at the end of the season.
A finished porch, without the project
Detroit Pumpkin Company
We design, deliver and arrange every display. We are not a farm, patch or store, and there is no pickup.
You choose how full you want the display to feel. Our crew takes it from there.
Side by side
The pumpkins are only part of it.
The design, sourcing, hauling, and setup are the rest.
| What to compare | DPC display | DIY from a store | Farm stand pickup |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you buy | A designed display of pumpkins, heirlooms, minis, gourds and hay by display. From The Sprout, 28 pieces, to The Grand Harvest, 100 pieces plus 3 hay bales. | Individual pumpkins. Selection changes by store and week. | Pumpkins, gourds, straw and corn stalks, usually with more varieties. |
| Who hauls it | The DPC crew. Free delivery in core ZIPs; $25 delivery fee in extended ZIPs. | You bring it from the store, load it into your car and carry it to the porch. | You drive to the farm, choose your pumpkins, load and unload them. |
| Who arranges it | Our design team. You do not need to be home for installation. | You choose where everything goes and arrange it yourself. | You arrange what you bring home. A delivery only drops items off. |
| Who removes it | Optional Porch to Pasture in November: $100 to $150 paid at checkout or $115 to $175 billed November 1. Included with The Heritage. | Compost, cook with suitable unpainted pumpkins, or use yard waste collection. | Compost, cook with suitable unpainted pumpkins, or use yard waste collection. |
| Typical prices | $485 The Sprout to $1,350 The Grand Harvest. The Heritage from $2,800. Custom Projects are quoted. | Store prices vary by store and week. | Wells Pumpkin Farm, Ann Arbor: small and pie $1.50 to $2.50, carvers $6.50 to $8.00, large carvers $10 to $15, gourds from $0.50, full straw bale $8.00. Published prices. Country Mill Farms, Charlotte: jack-o-lantern $0.35 per pound, pie $3, specialty $7. Published prices. |
| Your time | Choose your display and delivery week. Our team designs, delivers and arranges it. | Shop, load, unload, arrange and decide what to do with it afterward. | Drive, choose, load, unload, arrange and decide what to do with it afterward. |
What you buy
A designed display of pumpkins, heirlooms, minis, gourds and hay by display. From The Sprout, 28 pieces, to The Grand Harvest, 100 pieces plus 3 hay bales.
Who hauls it
The DPC crew. Free delivery in core ZIPs; $25 delivery fee in extended ZIPs.
Who arranges it
Our design team. You do not need to be home for installation.
Who removes it
Optional Porch to Pasture in November: $100 to $150 paid at checkout or $115 to $175 billed November 1. Included with The Heritage.
Typical prices
$485 The Sprout to $1,350 The Grand Harvest. The Heritage from $2,800. Custom Projects are quoted.
Your time
Choose your display and delivery week. Our team designs, delivers and arranges it.
What you buy
Individual pumpkins. Selection changes by store and week.
Who hauls it
You bring it from the store, load it into your car and carry it to the porch.
Who arranges it
You choose where everything goes and arrange it yourself.
Who removes it
Compost, cook with suitable unpainted pumpkins, or use yard waste collection.
Typical prices
Store prices vary by store and week.
Your time
Shop, load, unload, arrange and decide what to do with it afterward.
What you buy
Pumpkins, gourds, straw and corn stalks, usually with more varieties.
Who hauls it
You drive to the farm, choose your pumpkins, load and unload them.
Who arranges it
You arrange what you bring home. A delivery only drops items off.
Who removes it
Compost, cook with suitable unpainted pumpkins, or use yard waste collection.
Typical prices
Wells Pumpkin Farm, Ann Arbor: small and pie $1.50 to $2.50, carvers $6.50 to $8.00, large carvers $10 to $15, gourds from $0.50, full straw bale $8.00. Published prices. Country Mill Farms, Charlotte: jack-o-lantern $0.35 per pound, pie $3, specialty $7. Published prices.
Your time
Drive, choose, load, unload, arrange and decide what to do with it afterward.
Farm prices below are each farm's published 2026 prices, checked October 12, 2026. Prices change by season and week.
The farm figures are source references, not DPC prices. Availability and selection vary. Check each farm's price list before making the trip.
Example estimate, not a quote
What a similar mix can add up to.
A DIY estimate includes pumpkins and an illustrative round trip, not the value of your time. DPC sales tax and DIY sales tax are not included.
A Sprout-like mix
28 pieces, one trip
6 Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins, 4 White Pumpkins, 8 Heirloom Pumpkins, 4 Pie Pumpkins, 6 Mini Pumpkins.
$157 to $284 before tax
$150 to $238 in pumpkins, plus $7 to $46 for one 40 to 60 mile round trip.
Estimated time: 4 to 6 hours for choosing, shopping, loading, unloading and arranging. The Sprout is $485, designed, delivered and arranged.
A Grand Harvest-like mix
100 pieces, 3 hay bales
2 Grand Prize Pumpkins, 16 Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins, 10 White Pumpkins, 24 Heirloom Pumpkins, 12 Pie Pumpkins, 20 Mini Pumpkins, 16 Ornamental Gourds, 3 hay bales.
$527 to $943 before tax
$512 to $852 in pumpkins and hay, plus $15 to $91 for two round trips.
Estimated time: 9 to 15 hours. The Grand Harvest is $1,350, designed, delivered and arranged.
How we estimated
For budgeting only, we used $25 to $40 per extra-large pumpkin. That is our assumption, not a quoted farm price. Wells lists giant pumpkins in a $20 to $40 range and extra-large carvers at $20 to $25. We used $8 to $15 for jack pumpkins; $7 to $10 for white and heirloom; $3 to $4 for pie; $1 to $2 for minis; $1 to $5 for gourds; and $8 for a bale of straw. The heirloom estimate also draws on a September 11, 2026 public post on a third-party listing for Buzy-Beez in Croswell.
Fuel is illustrative only: the low end uses AAA Michigan's $4.66 per gallon on October 12, 2026 at an assumed 25 mpg. Each round trip is 40 to 60 miles. The high end uses the IRS 2026 second-half standard mileage rate of 76 cents per mile. It is an estimate, not a claim that a DIY trip is tax deductible.
Sources: Wells Pumpkin Farm prices, Country Mill Farms picking, Buzy-Beez public listing, AAA Michigan fuel price reported by CBS Detroit and IRS standard mileage rates.
Hours are our assumptions, not a measured figure. Sales tax is not included on either side. Buying a similar mix yourself costs less in dollars. A DPC display costs more because the design, sourcing, hauling, setup and optional removal are done for you.
What DPC includes
Choose how full you want it to feel.
Every display is designed, delivered and installed. We bring the pieces and arrange them on your porch.
Up to 228 pieces
The Heritage
Explore The HeritageFrom $2,800
Fully custom design, by consultation. Removal included.
Delivery and care
Design, delivery and installation are included. Delivery is free in core ZIPs; extended ZIPs have a $25 delivery fee. The service area ZIP checker is definitive. Michigan sales tax applies to the goods portion.
A restyle and freshness promise
Love It includes one return restyle within 30 days. It is a design visit, not cash. Comparable pumpkin replacement is available in one visit within 30 days for covered freshness issues, not cash. Animal damage, carved pumpkins and issues reported after 30 days are excluded. Read the Love It Guarantee.
When the season is over
A November porch, cleared.
Porch to Pasture is optional November removal. Our crew removes the full display in a November window, cleans the porch and donates the pumpkins to Michigan farms as animal feed. Removal is included with The Heritage.
When paid at checkout: $100 The Sprout, $110 The Vine, $125 The Patch, $150 The Grand Harvest. If billed November 1 instead: $115, $125, $150, $175 in the same display order.
Without removal service, compost suitable pumpkins or use local yard waste collection. Do not cook with pumpkins from a DPC display. How Porch to Pasture works.
DIY may suit you better
Make the outing part of the day.
- You want the lowest cost.
- You enjoy choosing and arranging each pumpkin.
- You are decorating with just a few pumpkins.
- You want a farm outing or to shop this season.
- Your address is outside our delivery area. Check the ZIP checker.
DPC may suit you better
Enjoy the porch, not the project.
- You want a finished display without doing the arranging.
- You want a professional design without guessing how many pumpkins to buy.
- You already hire help for landscaping, cleaning or lights.
- You do not need to be home for installation.
- You want the November cleanup handled. Removal is optional except with Heritage.
A few common questions
Is it cheaper to buy pumpkins myself than to hire Detroit Pumpkin Company?
Yes. Buying pumpkins at a store or Michigan farm stand costs less. A DPC display costs $485 to $1,350 (The Heritage from $2,800) and includes design, delivery, and installation, so you are paying for the shopping, hauling, arranging, and design as well as the pumpkins.
What is the difference between pumpkin delivery and a full-service porch display?
Delivery-only drops pumpkins at your home and you arrange them. Detroit Pumpkin Company designs the display for your porch, delivers it, and arranges it on your steps. You do not need to be home.
Should I go to a farm stand or use a delivery service in Michigan?
A farm stand is the better choice if you want the lowest cost or the outing itself. A full-service display is the better choice if you want a finished porch without the trip, lifting, or arranging. DPC serves Metro Detroit; check your ZIP on our service area page.
Who removes the pumpkins after the season?
With DIY, you do: compost them, use them in recipes, or put them in your yard waste bin. With DPC, Porch to Pasture removal is optional: $100 to $150 when paid at checkout or $115 to $175 billed November 1, and included with The Heritage. The crew removes everything in November, cleans the porch, and donates the pumpkins to Michigan farms as animal feed.
How much does delivery cost?
Delivery is free in core Metro Detroit ZIPs, and extended ZIPs have a $25 delivery fee. The ZIP checker on our service area page is definitive.
Can I book a DPC display this fall?
Fall 2026 is fully booked. Fall 2027 booking opens July 15, and you can join the waitlist. For this season, a farm stand or store is the way to go.
More questions? Visit our FAQ.
From our family to your porch
Planning for Fall 2027? Join the waitlist. Booking opens July 15. We would love to help you choose a display that feels like home.