Got gourds and seeds

I have some cleaned and dried birdhouse gourds as well as bottle birdhouse gourd seeds if anyone needs some. I am always open to an exchange for the seeds or gourds. Just postage if you are not up for a trade. If you are interested in the gourds, let me know what size (estimate) you need and I'll post a pic or two for you via email.

Barb

Barb....the thing I want most right now is a dried Apple Gourd...wait...that looks funny...Dried apples...as in Fried Apple Pies...?

OK...I would love an Apple Gourd....dried....I bought one in TN and then gave it to my DIL...it was so pretty I hated to cut into it for seeds, so I just cleaned it and waxed it and left it in her windows.

I have something in mind to trade for some dried gourds...I will email you...just as soon as I rest a spell. Jo

Anyone need gourds or seeds?

Barb

Do you have any Apple Gourds...or just aple gourd seeds? Jo

No apple gourds, Jo, sorry!

We have dried apple Gourds 35-or 40., Can send photos. Have about 1000 others, What do you want to trade..

Lee

Bassetmom, I am interested. I have never grown them before. Do they grow as a vine and how tall do they get? I am interested in growing them over arbor/gate to our vegie garden so that the gourds will hang down and frame the entrance.

How does one go about drying them? Do you just pick them and put them someplace to dry out or what?

Thanks,
Gwen

Well, the vines get very, very, very long. You need serious support for them as the gourds are very heavy as well.

As for drying them, there are great instructions in PlantFiles. If you want more specific instructions, email me and I'll write them out for you. The main thing is to keep them from rotting while they dry.

Do you need seeds? I have birdhouse/bottle gourd, luffa gourd (i think) and caveman gourd seeds on hand.

Barb

Barb, do you think an arbor would be strong enough to support them? I have never even seen these things growing. I know what the birdhouse and luffa gourds look like and like them, but am not sure what a caveman gourd looks like!

A landscape designer mentioned growing gourds over the arbor entrance to our kitchen garden so that the gourds would hang down over the entrance and I loved the idea. I had thought she meant the kind of ornamental gourds you buy for fall decorations in the vegie section of the grocery store but perhaps she was thinking of more the birdhouse etc types. I think either one would look great but am not sure the ornamental gourds grow on a vine long enough to cover.

I know that I would like to have a mixture instead of just one single type of gourd. Are there plants to produce a variety instead of just one type?

Also, are these plants perennial or self seeding or do you replant every year?

Gwen

I don't know of any multi-type gourd plants. They are annuals and they do not self-seed as the seeds are inside the gourds. Also, when you plant two or more varieties together, the seeds inside may not come true if you get cross-pollination. You will still get interesting gourds, though...

One gourd vine can grow 20 ft in the right conditions. I wouldn't plant more than one on each side, unless you are certain that the arbor can support them. However, they need a full 120 days or more to produce mature gourds so you will need to plan for next year at this point. I start mine in the greenhouse to get an even longer growing season here in zone 6b.

I'd be happy to send you some of each kind that I have. I have your addie from the 12-month swap...

Barb

Send them along and I'll give them a try. They sound very interesting!
Are they the type of thing you could plant the seeds in the fall for next spring or do they not overwinter in the ground?

Thanks,
Gwen

Hmmm... I am really not sure about that. FarmerDill might know the answer to that one. But, you can start them earlier inside and move the plants out, as I do, to extend your growing season. Just watch the roots as they don't like to be disturbed. I am going to grow my gourds in peat pots next year and avoid that problem all together.

I'll send along some seeds to you...

Barb

These won't over-winter...so start them in the peat pots and have them ready to go out side after the last frost...now, if we knew WHEN the last frost was we could make a fortune!! LOL Jo

**Grin** Ain't that the truth!

Would you happen to have any seeds left.
Pheadra.

Pheadra,

I'll put some in your package that's going out to you.

~* Robin

Thank you .Robin,