Growing Gourds in Colder Locations
Gourds
need a long growing season, so in our area that means starting indoors.
I start
the larger gourds early in April. Seeds have a hard outer shell so a
24 hr. soak and a little chip or file of the seed coat speeds up germination.
After
soaking wrap seeds in moist paper towels and place in a plastic bag.
You could also put seeds in jiffy pots or homemade paper pots. Heat
really helps germination so place them in a very warm location. I have
a seed starting mat I
use but have found I prefer the large water tank on our coal furnace
we use for
heating the house.
When you
discover sprouts you can move them into larger containers.
I use milk cartons
I’ve been saving so they have lots of room for root growth.
When the time for planting finally gets here I then can rip the cartons
off and not disturb the roots.
They will need plenty
of light after sprouting. I have an unheated greenhouse
that by the middle of April usually stays warm enough for the gourds.
If it does
get extra cold, I cover them with my row covers. You could make a small
cold
frame, place where it gets plenty of sun and set you gourd plants in
it. Be sure
and lift it during sunny weather to vent it.
Late May or early
June it’s finally warm enough to put the plants
into the ground. Enrich your soil with plenty of compost or other organic
soil
conditioners. General instructions say to plant 10’ apart but
I find my gourds
never need that much room so I plant around 4’ apart. I'm
sure in warmer climates
you get more vine growth and have to worry about them climbing all over
each
other. Also, if you grow on a trellis, they could be planted closer.
Gourds are heavy
feeders and I start out with a high nitrogen fertilizer to give
plants a good start. Later on when the gourds start to form, cut back
on the
nitrogen and use fertilizer higher in phosphorus. Plenty of water is
needed and if Mother Nature doesn’t supply us with enough be sure
to water well.
Cucumber beetles
usually find them the minute you set them out. They seem to
bother the ornamental gourds the most. I use an oil spray to help keep
them in
check. Later on the squash bugs come to visit. If you get at them early
the oil spray
will work on them too.
For people who don’t mind using chemicals, Sevin is the preferred
pesticide. One
thing you might want to try is taking some of the insides of a gourd
and putting the
Sevin on that. It is supposed to attract the insects well and then
they will be
eliminated that way. I haven't tried it yet but am thinking about
it.
The gourd plant will
send out one long vine and from that laterals form. It is on these
that the gourds form. To encourage more laterals pinch the end of the
main vine at
about 5’. In warmer climates growers usually wait for the vine
to grow 10’ but I do it
a little earlier since our season is short.
Watch now for the
female flowers. The male flowers should have already started.
You can tell the females by the miniature gourds under the flowers.
Hard-shell gourd
flowers are white and open at night and so are pollinated by nighttime
insects. To be
sure I get good pollination I do a little pollinating myself. Find a
male flower and
remove it from the vine. Place it over the female flower and tap. The
pollen should fall
onto the female. You can also take a small, soft paint brush and remove
pollen from
the male and brush on the female.
Male gourd flower |
Female gourd flower |
 |
This
is the side view of a female gourd flower. If you are not sure
by looking from the top, check to see it there is a baby gourd
below the flower.
This flower hasn't opened yet but when it does it will only last
the one night. If it isn't pollinated successfully the gourd will
wither and drop off. |
Gourds cross pollinate
and if you plan to save seeds and want true strains then bag
the pollinated gourd until the flower is finished. Be sure and tag the
gourd so you can
find the right one. I like surprises when I grow gourds so I let them
mix.
Gourds can be grown
on a trellis to cut down on space. I don’t recommend the larger
types for a trellis. There is a chance they will break off the vine
if they grow very large.
If you do get a heavy one on a trellis, support it using panty hose
or any other means
you can think of.
As the gourds grow I set them upright being careful not to break or
bend any stems.
This lets them grow more uniformly with a flat bottom. Certain gourds
I like to leave to their own growing habits. Like dippers or swans that
you want a curvy neck on.
 |
Two
different gourds growing in the gourd bed. Swan on the left and
canteen on the right. |
Any gourds that form
after August 30, I remove. They aren’t going to make it and you
will be sending all energy to the gourds that are.
Don’t harvest
anything until gourd plants are totally dead. Even if the leaves are
frosted the vines will still carry nutrients to the gourds. It is usually
late November
before I remove gourds from the field.
You can leave them
in the field all winter long but I worry about the destructive
critters. Cut the gourd from the vine leaving a good portion of vine
attached. They
will be very heavy at this time for they are full of water.
They should be dried
either hanging or placed on a rack off the ground, outside or
in an unheated shed. Gourds dried outside are easier to clean and get
less molding.
Any gourds that you plan on saving seeds from should be kept from freezing
until they are dry. I’ve heard some people say this isn’t
something to worry about but I would rather be safe than sorry.
It will take several
months, even close to a year, for the gourds to dry. You can
speed up the process by green scraping them. After they have sat
outside for a few weeks you will notice the top layer of skin begin
to loosen. Take the dull side of a butter knife and carefully
scrape this skin off. This helps them dry out quicker and they
will take less cleaning when dry. If you do this place them in
a shaded location. Speed drying can cause some cracking of shells.
Don’t dry your
gourds in the house. The molding process can cause allergic
reactions.
Don’t throw your
gourds out if they begin to mold. This is a normal process.
If your gourds have
grown to maturity they will dry with a good sturdy shell. An
immature gourd will go soft and rot no matter how you dry it.
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Here are links to other
folks ways of growing.
Growing
Tips from North Carolina Gourd Society
Growing
Gourds
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