OK Gourd Gurus, I have a few questions. . . .

I am growing some Birdhouse Gourds from seed in Jiffy Pots. They are about 2 weeks old and are just sprouting their first true leaves. I plan on also growing some Egg Gourds that I bought on Ebay as "Goblin's Eggs". I plan on building (or getting my hubby to build) a 4'X8'X8" raised garden for my gourds and veggies. I am going to put the gourds at one end and put a trellis there for them to grow on.

This is my question:

How many do I need to plant? I am planting them on the short end (4' across) and giving them probably 4-6' of trellis to grow up. Does that make any sense? I figured I could plant 4-6 in each corner of that end and let them grow up the sides of the trellis and across, eventually covering the trellis. I( have had a couple glasses of wine; if this isn't clear, I will follow up in the morning.)

Additionally, I am planning on planting peas and edamame with the gourds. Is this a good combination? If not, I could try some hyacinth beans or another vine.

What type of soil should I put in the bed for the gourds. I heard the "Jungle Mix" from Lowes is good. Is 8" deep enough for the roots?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Jennifer

Here are my baby BirdHouse Gourds. (In the peat pellets on the left)

Sounds like your plan, thus far, of 4 to 6 plants would produce a good number of egg gourds for you! Never underestimate how many will result from each vine...

Now, seeing you've used the peat "pellets", I have ONE cautionary suggestion:

Just BEFORE you place these little guys into the ground outside, snip about 1 inch down, 4 sides, of the "netting", to facilitate easier, less-impeded, root growth! I have found out, the hard way, that the netting material can sometimes work to one's disadvantage, actually CONSTRICTING the plant's early growth.

This is really just common "gardeners' sense", I suppose, as it's known to be a good idea to do the same with peat pots (snip the sides down just before placing into the ground)...

jip

I'm with jipsi -- be sure and tear or cut that netting!!!