How To Decorate Dried Gourds

Caren White is a Master Gardener and instructor at Home Gardeners School. She has been associated with Rutgers Gardens for over a decade.

growing-and-drying-ornamental-gourds — Pixabay

With the appearance of crisp, cool fall days, information technology'due south fourth dimension to think most decorating for the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. No autumn display is complete without a few colorful ornamental gourds.

What Are Ornamental Gourds?

Gourds are divided into two groups. The larger, hard skin gourds used for ladles and birdhouses are in the Lagenaria family unit and originated in Africa. These larger, commonsensical gourds are a mottled green while growing and dry out to a irksome tan colour. The smaller, more than colorful soft skin gourds used for decorating are in the more familiar Cucurbita family that originated in Central America and includes pumpkins, squash and melons. Soft skin gourds retain their colors when dried. Neither the large nor the small gourds are used as nutrient like their cousins, pumpkins, squash and melons.

Large hard skin gourds lose thieir colors when dried. When fully dry, they are a dull tan color. — Large difficult skin gourds lose thieir colors when dried. When fully dry, they are a dull tan color.

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How to Grow Gourds From Seeds

Gourds are considered wintertime squash like their larger pumpkin cousins. They are grown in the same manner. You tin showtime you lot seeds indoors four weeks before your last frost date, preferably in peat pots because, similar all squash, they do non like having their roots disturbed when you lot transplant them.

Even better, direct sow your seeds in your garden after your concluding frost appointment. It's a expert idea to wait until the soil has warmed. Cucurbit seeds won't germinate in cold soil. In my zone 6 garden in NJ, I look until the first week in June when the soil has warmed, well after my last frost date in Apr, to sow my cucurbit seeds.

The soil should be a neutral pH and nutrient rich. Gourds, although smaller than pumpkins, are heavy feeders. Plant your seeds in mounds, 4 to 5 seeds per mound which should exist thinned to 2 plants after they accept germinated and developed their second prepare of leaves. Thin them by cutting the extra plants with scissors. Do not pull them upward. That will disturb the roots of the remaining seedlings. The mounds should be 4 to v feet apart.

Thin your seedlings after they have developed their second set of leaves. — Thin your seedlings later they have developed their second set of leaves.

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How to Grow Gourds

Your gourd plants will need a minimum of 1 inch of water every week. Always water along the roots rather than from overhead which will cause the soil to splash onto the leaves and possibly spread soil-borne disease to your vines. Apply drip irrigation to water the roots. If you mitt water, a long handled watering wand volition let yous to attain the roots.

Weed regularly but carefully. Gourds accept very shallow roots, and equally mentioned previously, do not like to have their roots disturbed. Rather than pulling up the weeds, snip them off at soil level. They will abound dorsum, but if yous keep doing it eventually the roots volition die and your gourd roots will remain undisturbed.

A thick layer of mulch, such as straw, volition prevent weed seeds from germinating and help the soil retain moisture so that you won't need to water every bit ofttimes.

Trellis Your Vines For All-time Results

Gourds grow on long vines. Rather than assuasive them to grow along the basis and the fruit to become misshapen and discolored from contact with the soil, train your vines up a trellis or along a contend. The fruit is small enough and light enough to hang from the vines with no support. This also allows for good air apportionment which will preclude powdery mildew. Gourds are susceptible to all of the same pests and diseases that afflict squash and pumpkins.

Gourds should be grown on a trellis to keep the fruit from contact with the soil — Gourds should exist grown on a trellis to keep the fruit from contact with the soil

Wikimedia Commons

How to Ensure Pollination of Your Vines

All cucurbits have male and female flowers. The male flowers develop kickoff. Information technology's easy to tell male person and female flowers apart. The female flowers take a small burl at the base which will develop into the fruit after the flower is pollinated. Hard skin gourds bloom at night while the soft skin gourds bloom during the day like squash.

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How to Harvest Gourds

Gourds are ready to harvest when their stems turn brown. Harvest them by cut the stem rather than pulling the fruit from the vines which will damage both. When you cut, make sure that you leave at least two inches of stalk attached to the gourd. Gourds without their stems will rot chop-chop.

Information technology's a good thought to harvest your gourds earlier your first hard frost. A hard frost will impairment the fragile skins of the soft pare ones and could perhaps crusade the difficult skin ones to discolor. Keep only the gourds that accept no bruising or signs of rot. Whatsoever that are bruised or beginning to rot, should be discarded. They will continue to rot, rather than dry.

At this point, you have 2 choices when it comes to the soft skin gourds. You can use them fresh off the vine for your autumnal decor. This has the advantages that it is quick and they will retain their brightest colors. Or you can dry them which will take longer and the colors volition become duller. The advantages of drying them is that they will last longer, and they can be varnished or painted still you wish.

How to Dry out Gourds

The beginning step in drying your gourds is to launder them thoroughly and and then let them to air dry. Place your gourds in a dry, dark, well-ventilated place to dry. Ideally, you should dry them in a unmarried layer on a screen to let the air to circulate. Alternatively, you tin dry them on a ventilated surface. Turn them weekly to ensure they dry evenly.

Keep a close eye on your gourds as they dry out. Get rid of any that are soft, shriveled or have begun to disuse. If they develop mold, endeavor wiping information technology off with a soft, dry material. If that doesn't piece of work, dip the material in bleach and endeavor again. Every bit long as the gourd remains difficult, it will be okay.

The outer skin of the gourds should exist hard and dry within a week. The insides volition take longer to dry, upwardly to 6 months. When your gourds are light in weight and you can hear the seeds rattling around within, they are completely dry out and ready to be used as is or decorated.

Questions & Answers

Question: I accept simply just planted my seeds. Is it besides late to plant ornamental gourds?

Answer: It depends on where you live. Here in zone 6, this is the perfect time to plant gourd seeds. Colder climates have shorter growing seasons then many gardeners start their seeds indoors and then transplant the seedlings outdoors later the last frost when the soil has warmed.

Question: Is information technology better to pick the gourds in July or leave them on the vine?

Answer: Gourds should be harvested when the stems that are attached to the vines turn dark-brown. They are not harvested by a particular date.

Caren White (writer) on September 26, 2014:

Growing cucurbits tin become addictive, Poetryman. Give thanks you for reading and commenting.

poetryman6969 on September 26, 2014:

Cool hobby. Need to see if I tin can become the wife into it.

Caren White (author) on September 21, 2014:

I love gourds too, Crafty! I'one thousand looking forward to varnishing mine. I'm growing birdhouse gourds next year to pigment. I'll be writing a hub on those eventually. Thank you for reading and commenting.

Lori Dark-green from Las Vegas on September 21, 2014:

I LOVE gourds. I have never tried drying them. I would love to paint them and keep them.