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.