Welcome!

The Virginia Lovers' Gourd Society, the proud Delta chapter of the American Gourd Society, is comprised of volunteers who believe in the historic and economic value of gourds as objects of utility and art. If you live in Virginia, joining the AGS automatically makes you a member and will receive the monthly newsletter!  Be a part of, or start, a local gourd patch near you to meet regularly with like-minded folks.  We're learning, loving, and living the gourd life!

This particular blog is about growing gourds, the first step toward making gourd products of all kinds. Let's start Growing Gourds!

From Seed to Sell

Before digging right in, have a look at this brief overview for growing gourds from start to finish. 

Once you see the year in motion, we can get started with the process!

Gourd Types

                                  

What is a gourd?  A gourd is a fruit in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes edible and inedible gourds.  Squashes, pumpkins, cucumber are the examples of the edible members of this family. The inedible part of this family are as follows:

There are three types of gourds:

            Hard-shell Gourds

                        The fruit has a white flower for pollination; the fruit is green on the vine.

                        The fruit dehydrates to a tan/brown color.

                        Used for art and crafting.

                        Will not rot if dehydrated properly.

            Ornamental or soft-shell gourds.

                        Colorful shells

                        Used for fall decorating.

                        Hard to dry/dehydrate, many rot.

            Luffa or vegetable sponge gourds.

For the purposes of this blog, we will be discussing the Hard-shell gourds used for art, utility, and crafts.  When dehydrated properly the outer shell becomes like wood.  There are over 30 types of hard-shell gourds (see charts by Dan Dunkin - as you will see, gourds take the name of the purpose they were used for, or for their distinctive shape.)

Preparing the Ground

Gourds need 100-180 days of full sun to grow and mature on the vine.  

Prepare the soil ahead of time in order to plant the seeds or seedlings as soon as possible after the last frost date in your area. Choose a location that receives full sun and has ample space to accommodate rampantly growing vines. Although soil should be deep, well-drained and adequately pulverized, any type of soil will do if it is properly irrigated and fertilized. 

If needed, turn in well-rotted manure and/or a good 10-10-10 fertilizer, preferably one month before planting. Plant seeds or seedlings in a hill just above the hole. Gourds enjoy growing in a soil PH of 6.5 to 6.8.

If soil is shallow or extremely poor, dig a hole about
1 foot deep (a shovel depth).

Fill the hole with a mixture of soil, compost, and well-rotted manure. Once the base is constructed,

top off the hole in a hill with the remaining soil taken from the hole initially.  Build a rim of dirt

around the hole so as to have a slight rise so

water runs into, and not away from, the hill.

Seeds and Planting

If you want to produce a specific type of gourd, you will need to purchase true-to-type gourd seeds.  These type of seeds come from a crop of gourds that were not allowed to cross-pollinate.  Seeds can be purchased in stores or over the internet.  Just type in “gourd seeds” in the search engine and selling sites will appear.  Seeds saved from a previous year’s crop grown in a garden with other types of gourds will probably end up offering some very interestingly shaped gourds.

There are two methods of planting gourd seeds: in hills of mounded soil or in garden rows.

Hills: If vines will grow horizontally across the ground, plant in hills spaced 10 feet apart.  If vines will grow vertically up a fence, trellis, or arbor, plant in hills 6 feet apart. Hills should be 24 inches wide and dished in the center with a soil rim around the hill as shown in the Preparing the Ground post. Plant 8-10 seeds per hill to ensure that at least 3 will germinate.

Rows: Plant seeds or seedlings 2 feet apart in the row with 5 feet between rows.

Seeds should be plump with a slight sheen
on the surface.

Gourd seeds can be slow to germinate.  They need to be pre-soaked due to their hard shells. Do this by placing the seeds between wet paper towels for 1-2 days. 














Plant seeds on their side to a depth of one inch (about knuckle-deep).  Gently push the seeds into the soil to insure good contact with the soil, cover with soil and pat the soil down.  Water in well. The rim built around the planting hill should help direct the water.

Surround the hole's rim with several layers of newspaper covered by a thick layer of straw to control weeds. Spray with water to anchor the paper and straw to the ground.

The seeds may take 1-2 weeks to germinate.

After seeds develop into 6 inch seedlings, commit gourdicide and thin to 3 plants per hill.  Don’t feel guilty -- you will not be arrested for committing this deed -- too many vines leads to poor fruit production so this culling is actually very healthy.

                 

Note:  Starting your gourd seeds indoors?  You may have to do so if your growing season is short. Start 4 weeks before the last frost. If started any earlier, the seedlings may become root bound in their pots and their growth will be stunted. CAUTION: When transplanting seedlings grown in pots, do not disturb the roots.  Remove the bottom of the pot and plant the whole pot.

The Growing

Initially, the 3-4 plants you left in the mound will look small but will quickly become bigger and send out viney arms.

Gourd vines may be allowed to run across the ground, or they may be grown up arbors, trellises and fences.  Growing gourds off the ground protects them from ground dwelling insects and helps them grow more symmetrically.  Fencing can be used for smaller gourds.  Sturdier arbors are needed for larger gourds.  Very large gourds, such as bushel gourds, are too heavy for arbors and trellises and have to be grown on the ground, hopefully elevated to avoid direct contact with damp soil.

Irrigation: Gourds need a good watering once a week during the growing season.  Water the hills, not the foliage as watering the leaves encourages foliage diseases.  Toward the end of the growing season, withhold extra water so the gourds will begin to harden off before frost.

Fertilizer: A side dressing of a low nitrogen garden fertilizer such as 5-10-5 may be added when the gourds begin to form.  Do not add a high nitrogen fertilizer late in the season as this will encourage jungle-like growth and actually delay fruit maturity.

Cultivation:  Gourds have shallow, laterally running roots.  Do not cultivate too closely to plants.  Mulching will help retain water and keep weeds under control. 

Harvesting

The BIGGEST mistake gardeners make is harvesting their gourds too early!  

After frost, the leaves will die and for the first time the beautiful gourds show themselves.  It is so tempting to run down to the garden and harvest them. However, gourds need to be left on the vine as long as possible. A gourd is ripe and ready for harvesting when its stem and tendril have turned completely brown which will be well after frost. Use sharp shears/clippers and leave at least 3 inches of stem. Allow the green fruit to dehydrate over the next season or two in a well-ventilated area off the ground.

Dehydrating

It takes 3-6 months to fully dehydrate a gourd depending on the gourd’s size.  When the seeds rattle and/or the gourd is light in weight compared to its size, it is dehydrated. In fact, a freshly harvested green gourd will be cool to the touch due to the amount of moisture it has. A dehydrated gourd will be room temperature.

A dehydrated gourd will also be covered in black, gray and white mold.  DO NOT THROW THE GOURD AWAY!  It has been a very good gourd and has done what it was supposed to have accomplished -- all the water/moisture inside the gourd successfully transpired through the skin/shell and left a gourd ready for cleaning for use.

Dehydrate gourds outside in the open with ventilation and sunshine. Turn them often to discourage rot as excess water accumulates inside, awaiting evaporation. Gourds that collapse on themselves, become wrinkled or soft will not dehydrate and should be discarded  Once fully dehydrated thought, bring the gourds out of the weather to protect them. Store in a barn/garage/shed, not in your house.  Only after gourds have had their outer shells cleaned should inside house. 

Craft Readiness

Dehydrated gourds must have the thin layer of dried outer skin and the mold on their shells removed before they can be crafted.  Gardeners soak the gourds in pails of water and use a copper scrubber to expose the brown/tan outer shell.  

Some people add a little bleach to the cleaning water but we here at the Virginia Lovers’ Gourd Society (VLGS) do not use bleach due to the odor. However, a pair of gloves do not come amiss!

Once the outer gourd shell is clean you may begin to craft your gourd.  If you are going to cut open the gourd to make a bowl or a birdhouse, use a jigsaw or a drill and bit to accomplish this task.  Note:  Always wear a protective breathing mask and eye wear when cutting, sanding or cleaning out the inside of a gourd.  The dust is very fine and abrasive.

To clean out the inside of a gourd, which is referred to as gutting, use a scraping tool to remove the seeds and white pith.  Some people use a drill press while others use wire brushes attached to a drill to clean out the pith.

As far as decorating the outer shell, you are only limited by your imagination.  Anything that can be used on wood can be used on gourds:  paint, dyes, shoe polish colored pencils and wood burning. 

Go Grow and Come Show!

We at VLGS wish you success in growing your own gourds!  Go grow and then show your gourds at the annual VA Gourd Show held at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA.  Check the MSV calendar the date, time, and the Member Challenge of the year!