TGS RESOURCES

GUIDELINES FOR GROWING GOURDS

1. Start your seeds indoor and early, I put mine in 4-inch pots sometime in February or March. They can be planted in the ground any time after frost or as late as May, or maybe June. Expect only 60-80% germination. (One year I had plants come up in September and gourds formed). If you put the seed in pots, transplant either after any chance of frost, or when the vine has four leaves. If the plant gets tall, plant deeply in the ground, as more roots will develop. Gourds are slow to germinate, often as long as 6 weeks. They also are slow to grow after transplanting. After about 2 weeks in the ground, they begin to grow rapidly - or they will wither and die.

Seeds can also be put into the ground very successfully. Put 5 or 6 seeds together, either in a mound or in a row, then later, remove the weak plants, leaving 2 or 3 plants growing together. Plant rows about 3 feet apart and mounds about the same, as gourd vines cover a lot of ground. It is a good idea to plant small gourds close to a fence or trellis.

2. Start with a small or medium sized variety of gourds, like dipper or birdhouse. These are two of the easiest gourds to grow.

3. Prepare the soil by adding plenty of compost and some general fertilizer. If the vine gets too much nitrogen later in growth, you'll get too much vine and not much fruit.

4. Pinch or cut off the main vine when it gets about 10 feet long. This will prompt the plant to form lateral side branches, which is where the female flowers form. The male flowers form first on the main vine; female flowers, which develop into gourds, are only on the laterals.

5. Hand pollination assures good fruit set and pure variety gourds. Lagenaria (hard-shelled gourds with white blossoms) bloom at night, so in the evening pick off two or three male flowers. The male flowers appear to be "standing up" above the leaves; they have long stems and there isn't a "baby gourd" bump (ovary) below the flower, as there is on the female flower. Rub the pollen from the male flowers' anther onto the stigma in the center of the female flower. The female flower is usually round bulb just below the flower. Such hand pollinating will give you more gourds. The more pollen grains that reach the female stigma (top of the part in the middle of the flower), the better chance for successful pollination.

6. Keep the gourds well watered until mid to late August, then taper off and stop watering. Usually by this time the gourds have stopped growing larger. Keeping the plants dry late in the season helps trigger them to ripen, mature and harden.

7. Leave gourds on the vines until the vines are completely dead if possible. Or if the stem is brown and the gourd has become lightweight, they may be cut down and brought into a barn, shed, house or any place which is fairly dry and well ventilated.

8. To cure gourds, they may be left outside, brought inside or left on the vine as long as the vine holds. When gourds are cut from the vine, they should be placed on pallets, screens, or any structure or support that allows the air to circulate around the gourds. Don't worry about mold, which forms on drying gourds, as this is normal. The mold often creates a lovely pattern or design. However, it can be scrubbed off with warm water and chore girl type scrubbers (stainless steel type). If a gourd shrivels or rots (becomes soft), it is not mature enough and should be discarded.

by Betty Kent