• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Home Garden Companion

Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal

  • Plant Library On The Journal
    • All Season Garden Color
    • Sitemap
  • Garden chores
    • Essential Garden Tools For Beginners
    • Garden Tips and Advice
  • Ilona’s Garden Home
    • Old House Blog
    • Garden Librarian
  • Ilona’s Garden Flavor Shop
  • Privacy Policy

Out Of Your Gourd Gardening

15.01.16 | Ilona Erwin | 1 Comment

The Seed That Grew Birdhouse Gourds

– Lots Of Them!

birdhouse gourds
Pretty white blossoms turn into gourds to paint and shape into crafts.

Gourds are easy to grow. And besides being easy (which makes them a candidate for growing in a children’s garden), there are lots of things that you can do with them if you love to craft and decorate.

The main thing that a gourd plant needs is SPACE.

If you have limited space, no worries mate, vertical gardening can be an ideal way to grow all the gourds you could desire.

White Flowering Draws Moths Pollinated mainly by moths and other night insects, the blooms of many of these squash family plants are often white and open at dusk. They have an unearthly beauty.

I decided to grow one specific kind, the birdhouse form Lagenaria, during one growing season. It turned out to be so fruitful that I ended up with enough dried gourds for years of decorating (maybe you won’t take as long to finish your projects, but the harvest was great). If it is before June, in Zone 6 and lower, you have time to grow your own from seed. Or make your plan for next growing season.

What can you find on this page?

  • How to grow gourds
  • Vertical Gardening ideas for saving space
  • Craft ideas for the gourds you grow

If you are interested in growing gourds and turning them into fun projects like gourd art, birdhouses, or even musical instruments are on the final leg of the gourd discovery tour at the bottom of the page.

How To Grow Gourds

My Gourds Took Over
My Gourds Took Over

A Very Simple Plant To Grow, Ideal For A Beginner

Factsheet for Growing and Curing Many Types

Tender Plants

  1. You can start the seeds indoors if you like.
  2. I started mine directly in the garden, planting according to directions on the packet.
  3. Plant 2 feet apart in the row, with rows 5 feet apart
  4. Water regularly, like for tomatoes
  5. Use 10-10-10 or 10-6-4 fertilizer once plants take off.
  6. Harvest before frost

Keep in mind that these plants are warm weather plants which should not be planted out before the last frost. They will grow best when the soils are warm.

Humid, hot days and warm nights suit the gourd family just fine, but they can be subject to some diseases and pests.

Mosaic Virus and Powdery Mildew are two of the worst, most prevalent of the diseases they can get, and those problems can kill a crop.

With Mosaic, which is a plant virus, but be sure the mottled foliage is not from an application of insecticide, which can mimic the problem.

Prevent Powdery Mildew by using the vertical garden methods which will increase air circulation. (Mildews are promoted by stagnant, close conditions).

Hand pollination can improve fruit set.

Ready To Try Growing Some Amazing Varieties?

Gourds, Vining, "Bath Loofah" - HeirloomGourds, Vining, “Bath Loofah” – Heirloom

Renee’s is a reputable seed house company that many gardener’s rely on. I love the selections and have always had good reults, so I am very confident in recommending you buy your seeds from Renee.This packet will provide you with a selection of shapes that you may use in traditional ways or as a canvas for art projects that can be anything you imagine.

This is the perfect plant for a child’s garden because it is easy, and provides fun projects that kids love. The large plants are exciting to watch grow and gives a real feeling of accomplishment come harvest time.

Other ideas for creating a Child’s Garden.

”Did you know this? The flowers attract hummingbirds!”

Growing Gourds For Crafts

Why Vertical Gardening Works For You

Cucurbit plants (cucumber and melons included) take up a lot of space, and you may want to plan for that at the outset.

If you do not wish to allow lots of garden space for gourds, consider vertical garden ideas. One of the best things about vertical gardening, besides its space saving feature, is the way the produce is at eye and picking level, as well as kept clean.

Get your vertical support ready before you plant the seeds.

Easy Vertical Garden Ideas

As you can see- a trellis is good for tomatoes, too.

garden trellis
4′ x 8′ Cedar Raised Garden Bed with Irrigation System and Optional Trellis

Vegetable Trellis

Consider using vertical growing ideas not only to save space, but to keep the fruits from damage. In English vegetable gardens it is not unusual to see netted cradles holding the cucurbits, no matter what variety they are. I think those nets are more practical for heavier fruits such as melons, but have seen them used for courgettes.

I grew the Lagenaria on the ground because I wasn’t prepared for the spread of these plants. Just a few plants took over the entire vegetable garden that year, so I would definitely recommend using a trellis or support of some kind to grow the vines upward.

While the frame and trellis outfits work extremely well, if you have a fence, especially chain link, you can use that to support the vines. Netting strung between sturdy posts would also work.

The Many Forms of Gourd Fruits

Use the following charts to see the wide range of types that you can plant and use for many different purposes. All may be grown in vertical ways, or if you have the room, along the ground.



Digital Gourds chart © Dan Dunkin 2003
This chart is used courtesy The Gourd Reserve

Starting Your Seeds Indoors

Getting a head start on the season

Many people like to start the Cucurbit family indoors. What is this plant family? All those of the squash and melon family are included, as well as the gourds. Find out more about their family,Cucubitaceae.

Like starting any tender plants inside, first plant the seeds in moist seed starter soil ( regular potting soil and certainly outdoor soil is too heavy and might cause rot).

Once you begin seeing little leaves, lightly fertilize and keep in a well lit space.

Harden off the plants once you near the frost-free date.

Plant your seedlings outside in the garden in good garden soil after all danger of frost is past.

Make Your Own Pots?

Your own pots can be easily made using origami techniques and old newspapers. How to make your own paper pots, illustrated tutorial.

There is even a small form available to ease the chore of making many pots.

Source: Secrets du Potager Paper Pot Maker One of the benefits of using old materials to make your own pots is that by recycling you are being environmentally green. Not to mention that it is a frugal step that saves plenty of money to use in for other gardening projects.

Be Green

More ways to be frugal and recycle:

Use egg cartons, or pots made of wrapping paper tubes, cut in 8″ lengths and lined with newspaper circle.

Be sure to fill your seedlings pots with good growing medium. It is not money saving to scrimp on soil that is sterile and of the right ingredients to give your new plants a good start. Regular garden soil won’t do. It is too dense, and has organisms that can contribute to the demise of your new seedlings. Of course you can (and many gardeners do) mix your own medium and go through the process of sterilizing it yourself, but that is more labor intensive than many have the time and energy for.

The following available mixes are good for your plants, and are easy to obtain and use.

Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, 8-Quart (currently ships to select Northeastern & Midwestern states)

Or buy the fixings and make your own:

Seed Starting “Soil”

  • 1 part coir or sphagnum moss (my local greenhouse uses coir)
  • 1 part perlite
  • 1 part vermiculite

Early Start IS 66412 3-Shelf Green House WorkbenchEarly Start IS 66412 3-Shelf Green House Workbench
Having the right light, with green house humidity is one surefire way to a great start on the season

Home Gardeners Grow Them – Woo Hoo! A Good Sourcebook

That means you. You can grow these veggies easily,  and this guide will give you all the tips.

Gourds in Your Garden: A Guidebook for the Home GardenerGourds in Your Garden: A Guidebook for the Home Gardener

Guidebook for those who are serious about growing and crafting with gourds.

You can take hours poring through hundreds of online articles, or you can get this primer and get started right away.
Covering Topics:

  • Popular gourd shapes
  • Controlling gourd plant pests
  • Preparing your gourds

…and loads more including lists of suppliers, a growing calendar, and space for notes.

Easy to grow with large seeds and fast germination rates, but need a long growing season.

Building Trellis For Gourds – Garden Girl Demonstrates

Vertical Gardening – Grow vining plants or wide spreading plants with ease

Just grow up!

Literally, grow skyward and let authors Rebecca Sweet and Susan Morrison guide you into all sorts of ideas and landscape solutions which involve vertical gardening. Perfect for putting gourds into your garden.

Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large SpacesGarden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces

Urban and suburban gardens don’t always have the extra space for plants such as the gourd family, but this book provides plenty of landscape inspiration and creative ways to include more plants in more ways than you may have imagined.

Birdhouse Gourds Drying

Birdhouse Gourds Drying

Gourd Arts

Burn, Carve, Paint

Gourds can be beautiful.Sometimes in their own right, but this fruit just begs to be decorated. Plenty of craftspeople and artists have answered that plea, and you would be astonished at the gorgeous art that starts out as a humble gourd.

photo by Miguel Vera

One of the places I discovered how many truly beautiful artworks that people create from lowly gourds was on Pinterest. I was already aware of the useful projects, like simple birdhouses, and decorative displays of them (my mother always had some dried and varnished gourds in a bowl because she loved Autumn colors). I also had taken quite an interest in the painting that is displayed in the Kentucky Artisan shop off the highway in Berea, Kentucky, but until I saw the splendid works of art online I had little idea of the intricate and ingenious ways the gourds can be embellished.

So You Want To Be An Artist – How-to video

Gourd Art

How can you decorate a gourd?

  • Burn
  • Carve
  • Paint
  • Decoupage

See the work of Carol Kroll and Martha Danek

A sweet, very easy way to use your gourds for garden art is to make fairy houses. I saw a number of these cute and creative little homes posted on Pinterest boards and thought that this would be a great way to combine growing gourds with other parts of a garden plan. Create fairy gardens and a community of houses made from this material.

Uses

As utility containers they can be used as ladles or birdhouses, bowls, or bottles. Many love them as fine art canvases or sculpted pieces.

Invite Purple Martins

You grew your gourds, made your birdhouses, and now what?

Invite Purple Martins to your yard! Purple Martins are premier mosquito and insect eaters. They love to have “apartment complexes” and this is a great way to use the many fruits of your labor.

Make a birdhouse for purple martins.

Hang the gourd houses at least two stories up. Purple Martins like to live on high in the middle of the yard.

 

Complete Book For The Crafting Of Hardshell Squashes

Complete Book of Gourd CarvingComplete Book of Gourd Carving
One of the best, and most useful, how to books on the art of carving a gourd.

You will be amazed by the many ways that people turn gourds into true works of art, and here are detailed instructions needed to make your own artistic carvings.

Crafting Tools You Will Need To Make Your Own Gourd Art

  • Wood Transfer Paper: Used For Tracing Designs Onto Wood (8 Sheets - 18" x 24")Wood Transfer Paper: Used For Tracing Designs Onto Wood (8 Sheets – 18″ x 24″)If you special designs and don’t trust freehand, or if you need pattern guidance for burning or carving, this transfer paper is necessary for good results.
  • Burn Art Tool – Pyrography Tool

    One of the best tools to have if you plan to do a lot of burning designs into surfaces like wood or the Lagenaria squashes.

    RAZERTIP SINGLE BURNER W/ PENRAZERTIP SINGLE BURNER W/ PEN

    Woodburning with one of the best tools available gives superior results.

  • Proxxon 38530 Super Jig Saw STS/EProxxon 38530 Super Jig Saw STS/E>Most of your projects will benefit from this saw. From cutting out the holes of a birdhouse to carving intricate decorations, this tool will be indispensable.
  • Clapham's Beeswax 870-3008 Salad Bowl Finish, 8-OuncesClapham’s Beeswax 870-3008 Salad Bowl Finish, 8-OuncesTo polish the surface of your finished creation.

 

Be sure to see the other gourd preparation videos in the series. How to saw and prepare a gourd for crafts.

List of Helpful Sites – Growing info and Craft ideas

  • P. Allen Smith Garden Home
    Directions for drying gourds and making a gourd birdhouse.
  • Growing Gourds
    Online information about the North Carolina Gourd Society, Alpha Chapter of the American Gourd Society.
  • American Gourd Society Growing Guide
    PDF makes printing out the info easy. Growing guide for New York is useful for most states of the North USA.
  • California Gourd Society
    California Gourd Society invites artists to participate in classes, events and festivals.
  • Hardshell Squash
    Lagenaria siceraria in the plant index of the Missouri Botanical Garden

Ladle out your comments here, let the little birdie speak, spoon it on thick, be crafty about it, burn it into our brains, and carve out a place for your thoughts… in this space.

Originally published by Ilona Erwin 02/09/13 on Squidoo.

← Previous Post
Scrapbooking Garden Journal
Next Post →
The Plan For Your Own Potager

About Ilona Erwin

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

DISCLOSURE: I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Thank you, in advance for your support! Privacy Policy

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Robin says

    January 16, 2016 at 1:39 am

    I’ll never forget the year that I grew gourds up a trellis against the garage. They did well, and I put out a basket full on the front porch for autumn decorations. Do you know that the squirrels dragged off every last one of those gourds? I didn’t even know they were edible!

Primary Sidebar

Oh, hi there!

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Visit for a Spell

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Mission

Finding your way home via the garden path

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Portrait of a Gardener

gardener musings
Musings

What’s Wrong With Today’s Gardening?

Modern gardening
What Is Wrong?

Garden Journal

fine garden journal
Journal, Planner and Log Book
Shop Small Trees and More

Bonsai Trees
buy quality plants

You might also like

seeds

National Seed Swap Day in January

Garden advice

What Makes a Low Maintenance Garden?

Create A Child’s Garden, Grow Love For Nature

Growing Indoor Flowers In December

I Found Out About “She Sheds” And Coincidentally, About Friends

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Standouts

10 Useful Gardening Tips For Spring

Do You Grow Herbs? 10 Reasons To Love Them

10 Cool Season Annual Flowers To Plant

Standouts

August Gardening: Ten Suggestions

What are your ten top choices for perennial plantings?

ilonagarden

With village lights With village lights
Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄 Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄
Instagram post 17935013548845771 Instagram post 17935013548845771
Instagram post 17981374354427684 Instagram post 17981374354427684
Instagram post 17865517706595888 Instagram post 17865517706595888
Gift of flowers by my bedside Gift of flowers by my bedside
#mockorange #juneflowers #ohio #mockorange #juneflowers #ohio
Instagram post 18224713828022497 Instagram post 18224713828022497
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Topics

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Join Me

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · Your Site Name

Hazel Theme by Code + Coconut