Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Gourd Autumn Glory

Tulip18Tulip18 Posts: 23
in Fruit & veg
I am growing some gourds this year and they are growing very well. My question is should you limit how many gourds you allow to grow on the plant? I currently have 3-4 on each plant but have noticed significant growth and fruits beginning to appear over the past week or so. 
If so should I remove the flowers to prevent more growing or is there another course of action I should take? 
Many thanks. 

Posts

  • pinutpinut Posts: 194
    edited August 2022
    From past experience, I would say that it gets too cold for cucurbit growth outdoors by the third week of October. This leaves approximately 60 days of growing time left.

    Ask yourself this:

    - This has been an perculiar year so will we get an Indian summer that will extend the season?

    - Have the current gourds grown past the size where they can't be aborted by the plant?

    - If the current gourds have reached a reasonable size or their maximum size by now - how long did it take?


    These are questions you should ask yourself as a way of hedging your bets in getting atleast something for your efforts.


  • Tulip18Tulip18 Posts: 23
    Thank you for your reply Pinut, I’m quite new to gardening (veg growing in particular) and haven’t grown them before and unsure how big they should get. I’ve attached a couple of photos to show what they look like at the moment. They were quite small a few weeks ago and in the last 2 weeks seem to put on some good growth. The plant has aborted some smaller fruits but look like it is producing more, but perhaps these will also be aborted? 




  • pinutpinut Posts: 194
    My advice is to let the plants grow unchecked for another 30 days. That is, don't remove any flowers or newly developing fruit - just let the plants do their own thing.

    Please zoom out your camera and include another picture to show a whole plant. I want to see its general growth habit as I have a suspicion that it might be an ornamental gourd and not one grown for eating (it might still be edible but not palatable). What did it say on the seed packet?

  • myclayjunglemyclayjungle Posts: 162
    Pinut- can I ask what species that gourd is and the taste?  A relative grew something similar looking in Australia, but called it 'pimply squash'.  The outside was slightly more orange and the inside was a dry, nutty flavour, similar to kuri squash.  Are yours similar?
    Coastal Suffolk/Essex Border- Clay soil
  • myclayjunglemyclayjungle Posts: 162
    Apologies, that message should have been for Tulip18.
    Coastal Suffolk/Essex Border- Clay soil
  • Tulip18Tulip18 Posts: 23
    Sorry perhaps I should have been clearer, I wasn’t growing them to eat but for decoration. 
    I’m a nursery teacher and want them for our autumn interest table. 
    These are the seeds I sowed:

Sign In or Register to comment.