GARDEN CAPSULE: GOURDS
The challenge: You planted gourd seeds last spring and they’ve grown like crazy, climbing 20 feet up into trees and on trellises, producing zillions of gourds. Now what?
The solution: It depends on what type of gourds you planted. If they are ornamental, soft-shell types, they require no special treatment. Harvest this type as soon as the stem dries, before the first frost. Leave an inch or so of stem intact. Store them in a cool spot out of direct sunlight to keep the brilliant colors from fading. If you grew the hard-shell type, such as bottle or birdhouse gourds, wait until frost kills the vines. Then harvest with a sharp knife any that have a stem that is dry and brown, leaving a 2or 3-inch piece of stem attached. Next, spread the gourds out in a single layer on newspapers to dry, a process that can take six months or even more for large hardshell gourds. Provide a warm, dry place and good ventilation for the drying process. You can also hang them from the ceiling in net bags to dry.
Pluses: Soft-shell gourds come in bright colors and diverse shapes, such as eggs, apples, spoons, or with wings. If you want to enhance the colors, polish the surface with salad oil or a light furniture wax. Mold growing on the surface of hard-shell gourds is harmless; just wipe off the mold occasionally with a damp cloth. Properly cured hard-shell gourds last indefinitely..
Minuses: Soft-shell gourds do not keep forever. Eventually the colorful outer layer sloughs off. While properly cured hardshell gourds keep indefinitely, those that are still immature at the end of the growing season will not keep.
Sources: Find more information on growing and harvesting gourds at www.americangourdsociety.org.