Hi Aliesh, I know it's some time since you first posted on
this subject, but I thought you might like to see and hear about my experience
in growing gourds. I first developed a fascination with gourds 7 or 8 years ago
when I moved from North Cumbria to the East Sussex coast. I grow them in an
attempt to eventually do some craft work with them. The photos you see of the
bold coloured tit boxes were crafted in 2017 from my harvest the previous year.
It takes about a year to cure them, so patience is a must. I found growing them
was the easy part. Curing them is another story. They need to be cured slowly
and naturally by air, so put them in a dry airy place where you don’t go into
very often as they develop mould on the skin which can be an irritant to the respiratory
system (at this stage as a novice grower I threw them out thinking they had
rotted so don’t be tempted to do the same). You can tell when they are cured by
weight and sound. They should be substantially lighter and you should be able
to hear the seeds rattle inside them if you shake them. Curing time is not the
same for all gourds as size affects the length of time needed to cure them.
Once cured, you then need to wash them in warm mild soapy water. I found a
plastic scouring pad worked best for me. Leave them to dry thoroughly before
you attempt to paint or decorate them. Now all this is assuming you have
success growing them in Manchester. If I were you, I would start them off
indoors then grow them on in a greenhouse or poly tunnel but you may have to
nip the growing tips out if they start to take over and you may need to hand pollinate
them. Gourds are hungry thirsty beast and you can’t over feed or water them. Give
them plenty of good compost and a multipurpose liquid weak feed every time you
water them. One thing is for sure, visitors to your garden will be amazed by
them. Good luck. If I can help in anyway, please message me.
Fascinating stuff - I particularly like the white ones. Do you save the seed to use the following year? Funnily they were on this week's Gardeners World. A bloke on an allotment in Birmingham was growing them.
Hi Gardeninglily1, Yes, saw them on Gardeners World. Some you can eat and some
you can’t. Mine are not edible and are grown in various parts of the world for
various reasons, some for ornamental crafting purposes, some for making utensils
and bowls and some are turned into musical instruments of various size shape
and sound. Whilst in Northern India last year, my husband and I were
entertained in a restaurant by musicians playing both stringed and drum instruments
crafted out of gourds. Gourd crafting is big in the USA and there are many
gourd societies dedicated to just that. I like art and craft and intend to do
more adventurous crafting with my gourd harvests in the future. Sadly not all
gourds make it through the curing process and rot out. These I quickly discard
to prevent the rot spreading. My gourds have thrived in the heat wave we have
experienced here in the UK this year and by far this is will be my best harvest
so far. My biggest gourd this year is a ‘Dipper Gourd’ and it is about a yard
long and weighs several kilos and for this reason it will take a year or more
to cure. Gourds have a tendency to cross pollinate very easily so I don’t save
the seeds from my harvest. I prefer to buy new seed each year from various suppliers.
I have searched for other gourd growers/enthusiasts in the UK to exchange thoughts and ideas
but sadly they are thin on the ground. Maybe this post will bring some out of
the woodwork.
Posts
Hi Aliesh, I know it's some time since you first posted on this subject, but I thought you might like to see and hear about my experience in growing gourds. I first developed a fascination with gourds 7 or 8 years ago when I moved from North Cumbria to the East Sussex coast. I grow them in an attempt to eventually do some craft work with them. The photos you see of the bold coloured tit boxes were crafted in 2017 from my harvest the previous year. It takes about a year to cure them, so patience is a must. I found growing them was the easy part. Curing them is another story. They need to be cured slowly and naturally by air, so put them in a dry airy place where you don’t go into very often as they develop mould on the skin which can be an irritant to the respiratory system (at this stage as a novice grower I threw them out thinking they had rotted so don’t be tempted to do the same). You can tell when they are cured by weight and sound. They should be substantially lighter and you should be able to hear the seeds rattle inside them if you shake them. Curing time is not the same for all gourds as size affects the length of time needed to cure them. Once cured, you then need to wash them in warm mild soapy water. I found a plastic scouring pad worked best for me. Leave them to dry thoroughly before you attempt to paint or decorate them. Now all this is assuming you have success growing them in Manchester. If I were you, I would start them off indoors then grow them on in a greenhouse or poly tunnel but you may have to nip the growing tips out if they start to take over and you may need to hand pollinate them. Gourds are hungry thirsty beast and you can’t over feed or water them. Give them plenty of good compost and a multipurpose liquid weak feed every time you water them. One thing is for sure, visitors to your garden will be amazed by them. Good luck. If I can help in anyway, please message me.
Hi Gardeninglily1, Yes, saw them on Gardeners World. Some you can eat and some you can’t. Mine are not edible and are grown in various parts of the world for various reasons, some for ornamental crafting purposes, some for making utensils and bowls and some are turned into musical instruments of various size shape and sound. Whilst in Northern India last year, my husband and I were entertained in a restaurant by musicians playing both stringed and drum instruments crafted out of gourds. Gourd crafting is big in the USA and there are many gourd societies dedicated to just that. I like art and craft and intend to do more adventurous crafting with my gourd harvests in the future. Sadly not all gourds make it through the curing process and rot out. These I quickly discard to prevent the rot spreading. My gourds have thrived in the heat wave we have experienced here in the UK this year and by far this is will be my best harvest so far. My biggest gourd this year is a ‘Dipper Gourd’ and it is about a yard long and weighs several kilos and for this reason it will take a year or more to cure. Gourds have a tendency to cross pollinate very easily so I don’t save the seeds from my harvest. I prefer to buy new seed each year from various suppliers. I have searched for other gourd growers/enthusiasts in the UK to exchange thoughts and ideas but sadly they are thin on the ground. Maybe this post will bring some out of the woodwork.