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Garden Gate:  Gourds  |
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FarmGirl~K
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Kelly
TX
USA
512 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 05 2008 : 4:18:59 PM
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Today I was at the hardware store with DH. I was looking at some seeds they had there for gourds among other things. I didn't know there were so many kinds of gourds. They called them snake, baby bottle, birdhouse (which I have heard of), swan, apple, and ladle ones which I have seen as well. I only ended up getting the ladle ones and some rabbit tail grass. Not sure if they will grow for me. I seem to have a black thumb!!  I will try & see what happens.
"Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 06:33:52 AM
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You shouldn't have any trouble growing gourds. They're as easy as zucchini. I grow them here and our season is much shorter than yours (I have to start inside in spring and then cover in fall to protect from frost). They are incredibly easy to grow. Your season would also be long enough to grow bushel gourds which I think are the most useful ones. They get fairly large and can be easily made into various useful containers.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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FarmGirl~K
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Kelly
TX
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 11:31:27 AM
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Neat Lisa. I didn't see the bushel gourds there, but that sounds like something interesting to do & fun to try. I really do not have that big of an area, maybe 6x5 for growing. Surprisingly, I don't grow zucchini very well either. Not really me though. Those little roly polies get into everything & eat the stem. I have read they don't damage your garden, but I have seen otherwise. One year I planted zukes & got one nice healthy one off the plant before the rolies got it. They even eat the fruit growing on the vine. I have had strawberries, zukes, cukes, squash, & pumpkins (grown different seasons). All destroyed by these little critters.
"Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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lmillward
True Blue Farmgirl
111 Posts
Lorie
Riverton
UT
USA
111 Posts |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 5:43:29 PM
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Gourds are easy to grow but take a LONG time to dry. Be sure to read up on the process. They are very marketable too.
Long live the weeds and the wildflowers! ~John Muir |
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theherblady
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Jan
Glasford
Illinois
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Jan 07 2008 : 1:11:40 PM
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I grew birdhouse gourds for the first time this year and they did great! I sold some and the rest I have in the garage drying for sale next year. You need quite a bit of room for them to spread out but besides that-they took care of themselves. This year I am going to try to find "apple gourds". They look like a real apple! How fun!
Jan |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Jan 07 2008 : 2:36:07 PM
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My daughter has a small greenhouse dedicated just to growing gourds. She had some really fun ones this year. One variety she grew was an "egg" gourd. They look and are the same size as real eggs. She got a dremel tool and made Christmas ornaments out of them...cut fancy bottoms off of some of them and then stained them, put little bells inside them. Other's she left whole and attached gold ribbon. She used transparent stains so that the natural imperfections showed through and they look wooden. Really neat.
Di
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FarmGirl~K
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Kelly
TX
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Jan 07 2008 : 4:15:22 PM
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Jan... do you have an Ace Hardware nearby? That is where I found my gourd seeds & they did have the apple ones. I don't have a lot of room to grow mine, but I may try a few seeds just to see if they will work for me.
"Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4748 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4748 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2008 : 09:52:12 AM
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At Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL they grow their gourds on arch shaped trellises that you can walk through. It is really beautiful & fun to see how great the gourds look hanging above your head! To my knowledge no one has been hit by one yet. I think it makes sense growing them up there, the gourds stay clean, bug free, and they do just great. Have fun growing your own.
Dawn in IL |
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theherblady
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Jan
Glasford
Illinois
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2008 : 5:52:07 PM
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We do have an Ace nearby. I'll have to check it out. I have heard of growing gourds on trellises but haven't actually seen it. Sounds like fun to try~
Jan |
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lmillward
True Blue Farmgirl
111 Posts
Lorie
Riverton
UT
USA
111 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2008 : 9:15:34 PM
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Dawn- I'm so glad you mentioned growing gourds on an arch to walk through! I am designing a childrens gallery at a natural history museum and this is one of the things I asked the designers for! I think it will be ultra fun to have a gourd "tunnel" to walk through- I also requested a bean pole tepee for hiding in. when I have had them they seem so magical. I actually grew them over my chicken coop one year. They drooped into the coop and provided shade for the girls but were inaccessible to them.
Long live the weeds and the wildflowers! ~John Muir |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4748 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4748 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2008 : 05:52:29 AM
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Lorie, the kids will just love the gourd tunnel (that's the perfect way to describe what it looks like) and the bean pole tepee. At Cantigny Park, they also design a person made of flower pots sitting on a bench. They used spider plants for it's hair. It is quite unique & a fun way to use up old clay pots. You may be able to see pictures of all of this stuff on their web site. All of these things were in their "Idea Garden". Have fun designing you garden for the museum!
Dawn in IL |
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lmillward
True Blue Farmgirl
111 Posts
Lorie
Riverton
UT
USA
111 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2008 : 7:37:00 PM
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Cool idea! thanks.
Long live the weeds and the wildflowers! ~John Muir |
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Garden Gate: Gourds |
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Gourds
