Growing Vegetables

 

Gourds are an ornamen­tal plant, they require little care, and if garden space is at a premium, they will do as well (or sometimes better) planted  near, a fence or arbor. As nat­ural climbers, they will soon cover the fence, and, since the gourds are not in contact with the ground, they will be perfect in shape and color.

Like squash and cucumbers, gourds are very heavy feeders that do best in a warm soil containing a large amount of humus. Planting should be done after all danger of a frost is past. Dig a hole about a foot deep and a foot wide and refill it, mixing a liberal amount of manure or compost into the soil, heaping it up slightly, and planting four seeds to a hill.Unlike squash or cucumbers, you don’t always have to thin the emerging plants. It depends on whether you plant named varieties or a mixture since each emerging vine might be a different variety. The varieties are almost endless, both in color and shape

1. Ornamental - This type of gourd is for decorations and ornaments
2. Hard-shelled - The longer and stronger gourds, used for many craft purposes
3. Luffa - grown to produce sponges, also known as the sponge gourd

The picking of the gourds is prob­ably the most critical aspect. They should be picked only when com­pletely dry, or they will mildew and rot. The simplest way to determine when they are ready for picking is to give the gourd a very slight twist; if it is ripe, it will readily detach from the vine.

Following picking, they should be cured in a dry location for several weeks, after which the orna­mental varieties may be waxed to enhance their appearance.