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The best outdoor light timers to manage your property lighting

Don’t feel like you need to brave harsh weather or risk electrocution to turn your outdoor lights on and off. Remote controls and smart apps help you control your outdoor lighting from inside. Timers are weatherproof and stay strong in harsh climates.

You may love the look of outdoor and seasonal lights on your home, but you don’t love the installation and maintenance process. These lighting products enable you to set up times for the lights to turn on and off at dusk or dawn or the time intervals you want. Some options include remote controls, and others come apps so you can manage your lights without moving.

Dewebwils Outdoor Light Sensor Timer

Best Overall

The dual 3-prong outlet and remote control help you manage lighting your outdoor devices at the times you want. You can set them to go on or off at dusk to dawn or after intervals of two, four, six, or eight hours. The wireless remote control helps you turn your lights off and on from anywhere in your house to outside. You can plug two appliances into the timer at the same time; for example, if you want Christmas and holiday lights to shine. The sensor timer is weatherproof with a heavy-duty and durable design to protect your systems inside and outside. It comes with an extension cord and battery for the remote control.

BN-Link Outdoor Timer

Best Remote Controlled

This outdoor lighting timer has photocell sensing technologies to turn your lights on and off automatically. It remains waterproof as long as you use it at least 2 feet off the ground. It comes with three grounded outlets so you can install three sets of lights at once.

Choose when you want your lights to turn on and off at the time intervals you want—whether it's 2-hour, 4-hour, 6-hour, or 8-hour intervals, at dusk or dawn. Use the remote control to control the timer. The remote can operate up to 100 feet, so you don't have to go outside in bad weather to manage your lighting preferences.

Tonbux Outdoor Smart Plug

Best Multi-socket

This 3-outlet Smart WiFi Outdoor Plug helps you manage your outdoor lights without moving an inch. It comes in IP44 housing material to withstand debris and water—just don't immerse the case. The Tonbux outdoor smart plug can be controlled using voice commands via Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Download the Smart Life App and use the app to set timers when you want to turn your lights on and off. This Smart Plug can work with iOS and Android devices, but can only support 2.4GH WiFi.

Vavofo Outdoor Smart Plug

Best Smart

Use this Smart Plug to switch your outdoor electrical devices on and off by downloading the Smart Life app on your smartphone. The Smart App helps you schedule each device connected to the VAVOFO Smart Outdoor Plug to turn on and off at times, you decide. The plug itself works with a secured 2.4 GHz WiFi network with a range of up to 300 feet. Use voice commands with Alexa and Google Assistant for convenient control. The outdoor plug has an IP64 rating to protect your device from outer dirt and water.

These outdoor light sensors ease the burden of deciding when and how you want to light certain areas of your property. To activate them, all you need to do is a flick of your wrist on a remote, a finger swipe on an app, or a voice command. Now you can put away that ladder!

Is a pumpkin a gourd: We have answers to this burning question
Learn which of your seasonal fruits are gourds
A variety of squash types set on a black table

Pumpkins are a popular fall fruit used for everything from decoration to food. You may have also heard someone call them gourds, and some of their relatives, like squash, are gourds. If that left you scratching your head in confusion -- you aren’t alone. Plenty of people wonder, "Is a pumpkin a gourd?" We’re here to answer that question. We’ll explain what a gourd is, whether pumpkins are gourds, and talk about other fruits often called gourds, so you can go into your fall harvest feeling confident.
What is a gourd?

The word gourd can refer to two possible things. The first is any plant in the Cucurbitaceae family. Plants in this family can be called cucurbits or gourds, and the Cucurbitaceae family is sometimes called the gourd family. These plants have a few recognizable characteristics; namely vines and fruits with hard, thick skins or shells. The fruits themselves can also be called gourds. So, for example, you might call the plant Citrullus lanatus a gourd, or you could call the fruit itself (a watermelon) a gourd.

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8 fruits and vegetables you can carve that aren’t pumpkins
Carve these instead of pumpkins this year
A beet on a table with carving tools, including scissors, strings, knives, and a small candle

Carving a jack-o'-lantern by yourself or with friends and family is a fantastic way to get into the Halloween spirit. There are tons of cute designs you can choose, and you can spice up your Halloween display further by carving more intricate or scary designs. If you're bored with pumpkins or want to add a little more whimsy to your display, then you'll be happy to know that there are other fruits and vegetables you can carve.

Not sure where to start when looking for a vegetable or fruit to carve? We’ve got eight great options for you to choose from.
Watermelons

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How to dry gourds: Your complete guide
Dry your own gourds at home for gorgeous fall decor
A basket with fall leaves and small gourds

Gourds, especially pumpkins and squash, make excellent decorations due to their thick shell-like skins. You can carve them into lanterns, turn them into instruments, or simply paint them to match whatever occasion you choose. Unless you’re carving them, though, it’s best to dry them first. Drying helps preserve the gourd and stop it from decaying. Want to learn how to dry gourds at home? It’s surprisingly simple, even for people without much experience. To help you get started, here’s our easy walkthrough explaining how to dry gourds at home.
Choosing the best gourds for drying

The gourd you choose to dry should be fully mature, so their skins are properly hard. Before they mature, gourds have softer skins, which can interfere with the drying process. Smaller gourds will dry faster than larger ones overall, and while larger gourds can dry at home, they are more time consuming.

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