Gorgeous Gourds
(Page 2 of 5)
April/May 2005
By Barbara Pleasant
Grow medium-sized gourds that reach 8 to 18 inches tall on the ground, or save space (and get straighter, long gourds) by providing them with a trellis. Gourds get very heavy as they mature, so their support must be sturdy. Luffa gourds, used as sponges when dry, must always be trellised, however, because luffa fruit is likely to rot if it rests on the ground. Many gourd growers support gourd vines on trellises made by building two tipis with 2-by-2 boards, attached to each other at the top with a long plank. Or, let your gourd vines ramble over an arbor, an approach that has long been popular in China and Japan.
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Large gourds weighing more than 20 pounds when they are green are best grown on the ground. In Gourds in Your Garden, Summit also notes that gourds that are able to re-root as they run along the ground often are able to recover from damage caused when squash vine borers tunnel through the plants’ primary growing crown. Another advantage to growing gourds on the ground is that you can fine-tune their shape. “I often go out in the evening and set all of my gourds upright to help them develop good, flat bottoms,” Wainscott says. “That way my pieces of art will sit upright and solid.”
Once you have decided where you will grow your gourds, prepare the soil by amending it with plenty of nutrient-rich organic matter. Karen Manasco, a gourd grower in Hulbert, Okla., got her best crop of gourds by digging plenty of chicken manure from her farm flock into the beds at the base of her permanent gourd arbors, which consist of wire field fencing attached to wood frames. In South Carolina, Kevin Coker grows his gourds on the ground and prepares the soil in the fall by piling on all the leaves and cow manure he can find. He tills all this material under in early spring, along with a dusting of wood ashes for extra potassium. “The best soil additive is compost,” Coker emphasizes.
With site and soil preparation under way, it’s time to start the seeds. Gourd seeds have hard coats, so they soak up water slowly, which delays germination. To hasten sprouting time, use a nail clipper to nip off the pointed shoulders of dry seeds (not the single pointed tip). Soak them overnight in water, with a paper towel stuffed into the container to keep the seeds from floating, then plant them the next day.irect seeding in prepared soil is fine as long as the soil is warm, but many growers start gourd seeds indoors about a month before setting out the plants. Gourd seedlings need plenty of light, and they require a gradual adjustment to full sun. To harden off indoor-grown seedlings in a week, Coker suggests setting them in the sun for only a half hour for two days, then increasing their sun exposure by one hour each day for five more days before planting them in the garden after your last frost has passed
As the weather warms in early summer, gourd vines explode with energy, often lengthening by 6 inches a day. Small gourds need no further attention until the fruits mature, but as big gourds gain size, it’s wise to place a piece of perforated white plastic under them as a precaution against rot. And, when you want really huge gourds (some artists willingly pay $50 or more for a perfect 20-inch gourd), pinch off all but two or three fruits per vine to help the plants send their energy to the remaining gourds.
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