Growing Gourds Part 2

Hardshell gourds mature in around 18 weeks and it is best to plant them when the soil starts to get warmer in the springtime. I have started some of mine in pots, inside my covered shelter and nurture them along until it is time to put them outside in the ground. They are similar in growth to pumokin and squash, so basically follow the same set of growing instructions.

Don't put your seeds in the ground too early or you might find they would suffer and even rot.

Peat pots are handy to use as well to start your seeds in but be careful to transplant to larger pots as they grow, as gourds have a deep root system. If you soak your gourd seeds overnight it will speed up germination.

As all gourds will grow like pumpkin vines, one plant can grow a 100-foot-long vine in a single season and take up a lot of space. Plant 4-6 seeds about twice the length of the seed and keep them watered right through the growing periods.

Seed should germinate in about a week to 10 days but they can sometimes take as long as six weeks from sowing to germinate. You can use some weed mat on the ground around them to keep the weeds away. This will also help to raise the temperature of the soil.

I grow a lot of mine (most of mine) on trellises but if you grow them like pumpkins on the ground, the vines will take root at the joins giving nutrition to the vines. Another trick is to put a brick or something like a piece of wood underneath to lift the vines from the ground and this will keep them dry as they grow and stop them from rotting.

I use blood and bone on just about everything I grow but you can use a complete fertiliser if you want - and do this a couple of times during the growing period.

Few pests affect gourds but snails will eat seedlings so take care of them in the early growing period. Vine borers don't seem to bother hardshell gourds at all.

Harvest your gourds when they are mature. When the vine starts to go brown where it connects to the gourd, cut the vine at least two or three inches away from the gourd, like you would with a pumpkin or squash. Then, give them a clean-over with some antiseptic liquid, pine-o-clean, chlorine or borax and rinse with water and dry thoroughly.

Go To Page: 1 2