Gourds

What a great crop of gourds you just harvested. Congratulations. They will make wonderful bird houses for you.

-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi

Nice bunch of gourds.I got into growing them a few years ago and had such a fun time doing it.They love sandy soil.I have grown the huge bushel basket ones,turtle gourds,pear gourds,decorative gourds and also the type you have there.I wish I had the room here to grow some again.Some of my vines used to get about 15 or 20 feet long.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Good looking gourds! You’ll have fun turning these into birdhouses. I have grown them bf and so did my DD. They are very prolific producers and they can take over your garden. They will grow up an arbor or fence so that helps to control the amount of space they require. They are such fun to grow and to have to just decorate. Be sure to spread them out well for air circulation while they dry…...they tend to get smelly without good circulation.

-- 'To plant a Garden is to believe in Tomorrow'

A very nice crop of gourds. Why and how they are used for birdhouses? Are they used in the kitchen for any recipes?
Sharad

-- Bagwan-- “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they have never tried a new thing in their life”.-Albert Einstein

Nice job,
I’ve grown some this year too. They are coming in now, but what do I do with them? How do you dry them?

-- Roz, Being in the garden is good for the soul.

Nice….........I wish I had grown them again. I have several hanging back near the pond, in the forest and the warblers have have nested in some of them

-- Central northish Ontario

Roz, Mainly you use them for crafts like birdhouses or decorations. When I was growing up it wasn’t uncommon to see dipper gourds at a spring. For those times when you needed a sip of cool water. But that’s a different shaped gourd.

As for drying, I only know what I read online. Good air circulation and wash off any mildew. You know they’re dry when you can hear the seeds rattle.

-- Father of two boys. Both Eagle Scouts.

Washing them in bleach water will help to stop mildew or mold from growing on them while they are drying.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

congrats!!! Great job.

they look like pins at a bowling alley :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

They’re adorable! The young version is also quite a tasty delicacy.

-- A weed is a plant that is growing where it was not purposefully placed by human hands.