By Jennifer Poindexter
Have you consider growing gourds in your garden ? A lot of people think they ’re pretty but are n’t sure what to do with the gourds once they ’ve age .
With some gourds , such as the luffa , it ’s obvious how to utilize them . you may make homemade sponges or even easy lay with this type of gourd .
But what about other gourd varieties ? If you dry them , you’re able to use them for a multitude of undertaking . If this has offend your interest , you ’re in the right place .
I ’m going to walk you through what you must fuck to successfully harvest and dry gourds . I ’ll even share a few ideas on how you may utilize the gourds once dry out .
Here ’s everything you must know to utilize your gourds :
How to Harvest Gourds
You ’ve raise your desired diverseness of gourd , and it ’s time to harvest the mature intersection . Ensuring you do this footfall right is vital to drying your gourds successfully .
To begin , harvest your gourd before the first fall frost . You must also ensure the gourd is fully colorize , has a punishing outer tegument , and the theme is dry .
Should you look out on one of these items , it could leave to harvesting your calabash prematurely . This could induce them to rot .
There are some instances where frost may occur ahead of time , and you might have to glean the gourds ahead of time as well . However , if you could avoid this , please do so .
When you ’re ready to harvest , be certain to cut the gourd from the plant . A knife or a pair of shears are good tool for this job .
Do n’t pull the gourd to remove it from the plant as this could damage the fruit . Damaged domain on the calabash leave behind an opening for disease to occur . Should this pass , it could direct to rot .
Also , be sure to leave a few inch of the fore attached to the gourd vine . Not only does this serve as a helpful handle during the drying process , but it also encourages body of water to evaporate from the gourd .
Now that you know how to harvest your gourds , it ’s time to talk about how to dry them for later use .
How to Dry Gourds
It ’s fourth dimension to dry out your gourds , but where do you start ? Drying gourds can be a protracted mental process because they must dry inwardly and out .
Depending upon the variety of gourd , it could take anywhere from one to six months . Small , cosmetic gourds ( like Cucurbita ) will typically dry quicker than bigger gourd vine ( like Lagenaria ) that you see used for grownup project .
Here are the tone to drying new harvest gourd :
1. Clean the Gourds
Whether you get large gourds or smaller , ornamental calabash the process start the same . start by hygienise them . unclouded your freshly harvested gourd vine with warm , fulsome water and a washcloth .
Allow the gourds to dry by nature . Once they ’re fully dry , pass over them down with distilled acetum to check all bacterium is gone .
2. Dry the Outside of the Gourds
After your gourd are clean and sanitized , put them in a protect localization where they can receive flow of air without receiving the elements such as rainwater or lineal sun .
If too much moisture reaches the gourd vine , it will cause rot . A few representative of appropriate locations for dry gourd vine would be a carport , origin cellar , an receptive shed or barn , or a non-white corner with a fan .
Allow the gourd to dry out for approximately two weeks . Smaller gourd may take less clock time . You ’ll know the gourds are ironical because their exterior will change color .
3. Dry the Inside of the Gourds
The terminal footmark in drying gourds is to dry out the inside of the fruits . After you know the exterior is dry out , move the gourd to a dark location with proper melody stream .
A few stead that could work are a root basement , corner of a basement , or a closet . You may hang the gourds to insure all side of meat receive appropriate air flow rate .
If you do n’t have this option , you may set them on wire racks . If you ’re drying multiple gourds , do n’t let them concern .
alternatively , allow the gourd vine to dry out and rotate them ( if you did n’t hang them ) two metre per calendar month to insure all sides receive adequate amounts of air .
Check your gourd at every rotation . If they show sign of the zodiac of softness , they ’re decompose and should be discarded . If you leave them , the rot will spread to any remaining gourds .
You ’ll sleep together your gourds are dry when their exteriors are hard and their interiors go like a maraca . The jingling that takes place inside is the come bouncing around against the unvoiced outer casing . The gourd vine should also find faint .
4. Clean the Gourds Again
After you know your gourds are teetotal , they must be cleanse again to remove any mold that may have develop during the dry out process .
You do this by create a whitener mixing that ’s 90 % water supply and only 10 % bleach . Dip a flannel in the motley , pass over the gourd , and allow for them to atmosphere dry .
Now that you recognize how to dry your calabash , let ’s talk over what you may do with them after the process is finished .
Ideas for Utilizing Dried Gourds
Growing gourd is n’t a difficult process . Harvesting and dry them is n’t complicated , either . However , it is metre consuming .
Why would you put all this time and effort into something if you were n’t going to use it ? If you ’re puzzle on what to do with your gourds once they ’re dried , no worries .
Your work has not been done in vain , and I have a few traditional ideas to help inspire you on this journey .
Once gourd are dry , they may be used to make unique birdhouse or even kitchen utensils such as ladles .
In our current home , the previous owner dry lots of gourds and made many birdhouses to draw birds to the home .
We eventually got rid of the DIY birdhouse , but the bird still hang around our property to this day . That was five years ago . If you ’re a birdwatcher , score your own birdhouse from gourds could be a nice option .
Another option for gourd vine is to use them for décor . For smaller varieties of calabash , you’re able to dip them in wax ( typically find on the bake aisle of most grocery stores ) to help preserve them .
Dried gourd vine should last for a few month without doing anything else to them . However , if you ’d like to draw out their lives even further , surface their exteriors in wax could be fresh .
you may apply wax to your dried gourds by dipping them in it once the wax is fully dethaw . Be sure to use caution when go for hot wax to your gourds .
Then hold off for the wax to dry on the gourd vine . This should seal off them and extend their use .
calabash may also be sanded to help polish their outside , and they ’re great for painting as well . With these options , the sky is the limit with all the unlike agency you could use gourds .
You could also confab your local craft store and find other bully fashion to decorate the dried gourd vine . One option would be to purchase beautiful craft tidbits and paste them ( with a red-hot glue hitman ) to the gourd . This should help them to stand out in your DIY medallion .
If you wish to paint pumpkins , but want something a small unlike , you could paint a facial expression on your gourd and use it for a different decorative point .
gourd vine make gorgeous centerpieces , and little gourds can even be incorporate into homemade coronal . Many people employ dried gourds to decorate their front porches during certain clock time of the class as well .
Whether you ’d like to attract more birds to your home , or if you ’re interested in decorating your rest home on a budget , calabash are a nifty resource .
You now know how to reap , ironic , and employ gourds . Hopefully , this will encourage you to raise a new plant in your garden .
Also , we desire it encourages you to take on new trade around your dwelling house . Nothing add charm to a home like homemade , alone projection made by the proprietor .
Learn More About How to Harvest and Dry Gourds
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2000/2025-04-03/gourds.html
https://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/lancasterextension/8373/48867
https://www.purdue.edu/hla/sites/yardandgarden/harvesting-and-preserving-gourds/
