Growing The Gourds
Growing your own ornamental gourds and making a birdhouse gourd is great fun and surprisingly easy. And it makes a great natural addition to a bird garden.
I grew our own birdhouse gourds from seed very easily. Although I started the seeds indoors I’m not sure that is really necessary and in 2009 I am going to try some seeds both started indoors and direct sown to see if there is a difference in harvesting time in our zone 5 garden.
The best gourds for birdhouses are bottle gourds, often called birdhouse gourds or Mexican bottle gourd.
Plant the seeds or seedlings leaving plenty of room for growth. Two plants expanded well beyond a 4 foot teepee trellis I provided and grew at least 6 feet in every direction!
When To Harvest
When the gourds mature in the fall then turn from green to tan. In our zone 5 climate they were still slightly on the green side when we were expecting a severe frost so I decided to harvest mine anyway. I picked them, leaving about 3-4 inches of the stem attached.
Drying Process
The gourds need to spend the winter in a dry, warm place with good air circulation. I placed ours on a wire shelf in the garage for the winter and they dried well. They do get moldy, this is a natural part of the process. I found it best to scrap off some of the thickest mould after a few months as this seemed to help them dry faster but be aware that it is the mould that provides the really interesting design on the ‘wood’ when you are finished. Discard any gourds that become wrinkled or soft although a small soft spot can be turned into the birdhouse opening if it is in the right spot. This is what the mold looks like:
Making The Birdhouse
By early April you can start working on your birdhouses.
The first step is to clean off the outside skin. At first I was quite nervous, thinking I would damage the gourd. Please don’t worry, they are very hard and durable! After a couple experiments, I found the best approach was to wet the gourds with water and scrub the skin off with a dull knife, bristle brush or steel wool. (Your should wear a mask if mould will bother you for the first cleaning).
Removing most of the skin and mould in early April really speeds up the drying process. The gourds are dry and ready to finish if the seeds rattle inside. If the gourd are not yet fully dry you can put them back in your storage space to finish. I found that while the tops were dry the bottoms were not so I put them back in my garage lying down and they finished drying within two weeks. By early April, the gourds are partly dried and ready for cleaning.
Again, the gourds are completely dry when the seeds rattle inside. At this point, reclean any skin left on them with water and steel wool or a bristle brush. Apply a bit of diluted bleach to the outside just to kill any mould. Let them dry.
Once the gourds are dry they can be sanded with sand paper to a smooth finish.
After they are smooth, cut a hole in the gourd with a drill and hole cutting attachment. Clean out the seeds with a stick or knife and shake them out of the hole. The seeds and pith need to be cleaned out from the inside (I warn you it’s a bit smelly and dusty!)
I drilled two holes in the top to put a wire through for hanging. I also drilled 4-5 holes in the bottom for rain water drainage.
The next step is to either paint or varnish your gourds. I decided to leave mine natural looking with a shiny water-based verathane finish .
After that, place outdoors. As this as my first year growing the gourds I don’t know how long they will last but since they were so easy, I’m planning to grow more this spring.
Hi I live in Cushing Maine My name is Misty…My first year growing the gourd..it took my garden over a beautiful white flower though!I picked two of mine still green this is a little confusing as I have had gourds and pumpkins rot..So I pick em and let em dry in garage..and they shell them selves out during the drying process?I dont have a heated garage….so trying to think..any info u can send me I gratefully appreciate it.Thank You Misty
Hi Misty,
While I let mine ripen perhaps a little more most did totally dry out on the inside over the winter on their own & all I had to do was shake out the dry stuff from the hole I drilled. Some dried more than others, I guess depending on how big they were and how much humidity they had to begin with. My garage is also unheated and that is where I left them. As long as your shell is hard you should be fine. If your shell softened it may have been because they were too green to dry. I have over the years had a few I had to throw out because the shell rotted. One more thought, if they were very green they may not have developed seeds yet to remove.
I have left mine right in the garden over the winter (I live in Wisconsin) and they dried just fine.
harvest them only right before a frost.. They can stay on the vines a long time and get bigger .. the stem will start to dry out a bit sometimes before you should pick them .. leave the stem on I wiped mine down with bleach water before I left them to dry.. then after two months, I used bleach water and wiped them again, to get some of the mold off.. come spring, I did not have to scrape any crap off mine..
The only addition to this great article would be to tell folks to wear a mask over nose and mouth (eye protection too) while cleaning the outside and inside of the gourds. Lots of fine mold particles and gourd dust flying around!
I bought a “Autumn Striped Cushaw” at the grocery store. Is it in the gourd family? Looks like a gourd but then I’ve never seen large gourds. It’s about 6”x14”
Not sure. If it’s not edible I’d say it’s like a gourd.
I’m gonna try to grow gourds for the first time next yr I have my seeds and will be planting them in the spring. I don’t really know what I’m doing but I did want to ask a question. I’m gonna leave them outside on a pallet and cover them with a tarp over the winter. I live in Maryland I’m told this is how others do it around here. Do you have any different advice? Thanks for any help or advice. Signed the Newbie!
I’d worry that if they are not hardened then outside they will rot with a freeze/thaw in our area. Not sure about Maryland but you are not that much different that I. Perhaps try some that way and some inside the garage like I do?
I planted a gourd late last spring, it has grown 6 leaves already. Fall is coming up would you suggest I bring it inside or leave it outside?
Hi Linh
Gourds are annual so will not survive past one season. Bringing them in you’ll need a ton of room. The plants spread to about 10 feet! I’d try again next spring.