Growing Gourds for Art and Enjoyment

Growing Gourds for Art and Enjoyment

Growing and decorating gourds is entertaining for the whole family. Teaching your kids how to grow plants can be fun and rewarding. These lessons will last a lifetime.

By drying ornamental gourds, you can keep them intact indefinitely and use them to make useful items such as bird houses, containers and decorations. Create silly and whimsical decorations!

How to Grow Gourds in Colorado

Gourds are closely related to pumpkins and squash. They require a good amount of space to grow and they may take the whole growing season to reach full maturity. Gourds are an annual (they need to be planted every year) and require full sun and well-drained soil. The number of days it takes to harvest varies by type of gourd you are growing, but it is usually between 100 – 180 days.

There are two types of gourds: Hard-shell (lagenaria) and soft-shell (cucurbita), which somewhat resemble squash. Either variety can be used as an ornamental decoration after it is completely dried out. Gourds have a lot of vines and need plenty of room to stretch out. The hard skinned varieties tend to be larger and have long, thin necks. The soft skinned gourds vary in size quite a bit; they can be small enough to fit into your hand all the way to larger than pumpkin size.

Hard-skinned gourds tend to start out some shade of green. Soft skinned gourds are often multi-colored--orange, yellow, green, white and even blue. They come in unpredictable shapes and often are covered in bumps. When dried out they all turn a tan or light brown color.

Choose your gourds based on your particular project or grow a variety and see which type you prefer.

Gourds are a warm season crop. Plant them outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. You can start seeds in a container, indoors, about four weeks before you want to plant them outside, using peat pots will lessen transplant shock. Make sure to give them plenty of room to grow and stretch.

Gourds need consistent watering, especially once fruit has set. You can also use fertilizer when the vines start to really blossom. Use caution when weeding the area, as gourds are shallow rooted.


Harvesting Your Gourds

Gourds are ready for harvesting when their stems dry out and turn brown. Throw out bruised gourds, as they will continue to decline after picking. Cut the gourds with a few inches of the stem intact.

Harvest all gourds before a hard frost. Frost can ruin their skin and affect their ability to completely dry.
 

How to Dry and Preserve Gourds

Drying and preserving gourds is a long process that requires time and there are no shortcuts.

The outside of the gourd must dry out completely and then it will take another several months for the inside to thoroughly dry out. Hard shelled gourds can take twice as long to dry as the soft shelled gourds.

1. Clean the surface with soapy water and allow them to air dry. You can also wipe them with a little rubbing alcohol to help the surface completely dry.
2. Place in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight for at least a week. The skin will harden and change color.
3. Move the gourds to a well ventilated, very dark area, such as a basement or garage,  where they can remain for at least six months. Spread them out in a single layer and make sure none of the gourds are touching each other. You may also hang larger gourds to assist with the drying process.
4. Check gourds every few days and get rid of any that are starting to decay, shrivel or get soft. Turn them every couple of weeks to allow for even drying.
5. When the gourds become light and very hard you can hear the seeds rattling inside when you shake them. Now they are ready to use!

What to Do with Dried Gourds

Creative projects are almost limitless with dried gourds! You can make just about anything useful or decorative with these uniquely shaped objects. If you have a special holiday coming up, think of ways to spruce up your holiday décor with gourds, make a unique birthday gift, or make fun decorations to spice up your outdoor space.

Here are a few other suggestions:

• Make a small birdhouse
• Decorative items (great for Halloween and Thanksgiving)
• Carve
• Paint using acrylic paint
• Wax
• Shellac for a nice shine
• Wood burn designs into gourd skin
• Make musical instruments
• Halloween Jack-O-Lantern
• Vase for flowers
• Dye with leather dye
• Create useful items such as bowls and spoons
• Decorative container for jewelry or other small items
• Candle holder

There are unlimited creative ways to decorate your gourds. If you have a ton of extra gourds, you can organize a gourd decorating party with friends and family.

Have fun with gourds this summer!