Gourds

130 Days. Burpee’s 1888 catalogue said, “A natural dishcloth, and a most admirable one. Many people prefer this as a dishcloth. The fruit grows about 2 feet, and the vine is very ornamental, producing clusters of yellow blossoms, in pleasing contrast with the silvery-shaded, dark green foliage. In the North, this variety requires starting in a hotbed. The dried interiors of these gourds have already become an article of commerce; grown in Florida, they are sold by Philadelphia and NY druggists.” Tasty cooked like okra when young.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 3-10 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 75-90 Degrees F
• Plant Spacing: 18-24"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Luffa aegyptiaca

Growing Tips: Trellising is suitable. Provide full sun, ample moisture, rich soil and a lot of heat. Pick after first frost. Dry indoors, or outdoors under cover.

130 days. Delicious cooked like zucchini. You can’t miss this gourd growing in your garden. With a weight of 30 to 100 pounds, it is one of the largest gourds in the world! It is not only big but also very delicious. Pick it young and cook it like zucchini! This was a real show stopper at the National Heirloom Expo. Everyone wanted to know how we grew this monstrosity. Unbelievably, there are no trade secrets to growing this whopper. It’s extremely easy to grow; it thrives with little care. Start early and keep warm. Seeds require soil that is 70- 85 degrees F, and can take from 7 to 48 days to sprout. If you do not have night pollinators, hand pollinate the evening blooms.

• 8-12 hrs of Sun
• Sprouts in 7-48 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 70-85 F
• Seed Depth: 1"
• Plant Spacing: 18-24"
• Frost Hardy: Yes
  
• Lagenaria siceraria
  

75 Days. The popular Italian edible gourd. Long, slender fruit is a brilliant, light green color; very tender and delicious with a rich flavor. The Italians eat these steamed, sautéed, or stuffed and baked. Preferred by many to zucchini, this is indeed a gourmet treat. This ancient vegetable was popular in Italy, long before squash was brought here from the Americas. These are not bothered by many pests, and tend to be very easy to grow.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 3-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1"
• Ideal Temperature: 75-90 F
• Plant Spacing: 18-24" 
• Frost Hardy: No
• Lagenaria siceraria

Growing Tips: Trellising is suitable. Provide full sun, ample moisture, rich soil and a lot of heat. Pick after first frost; dry indoors, or outdoors under cover.

120 days. The popular gourd for making bottles, birdhouses and many other useful items. Fun to grow.

• 8-12 hrs of Sun
• Sprouts in 3-10 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 75-90 F
• Seed Depth: 1"
• Plant Spacing: 18-24"
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Lagenaria siceraria
  

Would you like to be able to grow gourds that weigh over 150 pounds?  How about 200 pounds?  We did just that, and we are making a limited number of seeds available for the 2023 season. These seeds all come from fruit weighing between 75 and 217 pounds! These were grown at Baker Creek's Mansfield, Missouri, farm during the 2022 season.  To grow truly giant fruit, it is typically necessary to reduce the runners down to just one primary vine and to grow only one fruit per plant.  But we were able to grow these colossal gourds without any pruning, proving that this strain of Giant Bushel Basket Gourd has the genetics to produce enormous fruit! It's a gargantuan gourd, perfect for competition growing or to impress your friends and family! 

We harvested seeds from gourds weighing at least 75 pounds to increase your odds of harvesting a truly mammoth fruit. These spectacular specimens can be used for craft projects, art pieces, or made into utilitarian containers. And this one happens to even be edible, with a crisp, clean, cucumber-like taste.  You are in for a show, as the long vines meander across the garden and the fruit quickly swells to stunning sizes!  Be sure you allow enough space for the plants to get huge - at least 10 feet between plants.  These are heavy feeders so deep, rich soil with high organic matter will help.  We recommend a triple 20 fertilizer applied as needed and make sure your plants get plenty of water.  To aid germination, clip or crack the seed coat at the very top (opposite the pointy end) before planting. This will help the seed imbibe water. We started our seeds indoors in April and took our first harvest in early October, so 150 to 180 days from seeding may be needed to get your gourds to their maximum potential.

Competition Strain. Grow mammoth 5-7-feet long gourds and amaze your family. Super tasty fruit is tender up to 4 feet long. The tenderness and great flavor made them a favorite in our kitchen. Fun for craft projects and entering garden fairs. The Kikinda comes from a small village in Northern Serbia. This town is famed for its pumpkin festivals. We grew ours in a “gourd tunnel,” and it is important to trellis if you want straight fruit.

(Luffa acutangula) 100 days. is grown for both its tasty immature fruits – slightly sweet and delicious in soups and stews – and its mature luffa sponges. Resembling a large cuke or zucchini with ridges, the young fruit is often used in Ghanaian kitchens in place of eggplant. Its huge vines can reach 20 feet or more; average fruit size is about 12 inches long and 2 to 3 inches across. It likes warm weather.

These splotchy, pale green oval-shaped gourds require a long, hot growing season to mature. Delicious when young, they are excellent for making beautiful bowls and jewelry boxes when dry. Trellis for smooth, unblemished fruits.

(Praecitrullus fistulosus) This tender and delicious edible gourd is popular in South Asia. Long vines are covered in prickles (similar to a zucchini plant) and will flower and fruit early and abundantly. The fruit is mostly round and averages 3 to 4 ounces each. Harvest fruit when young and tender and fry it or use in curries and soups. This fruit is particularly popular in Punjabi cuisine.

A mammoth version of the ancient winter melon from Asia. Wax melon has been dated back 2700 years ago in China; thanks to its long history, countless recipes exist for this versatile fruit. A staple winter food, its waxy rind helps to preserve the fruit for up to 12 months. The flesh is candied and stuffed into dessert pastries, stewed into hearty winter soups, stir fried and used to fill moon cakes for China’s Autumn Moon Festival. Fruit can weigh up to 75 pounds each. This beautiful black type is a popular wax melon variety in China, but still unknown here. Named for the long dark fruit which resembles a bullet. Excellent storage quality and snow-white flesh. An excellent substitute for zucchini squash, but these are tastier! Thin (and eat) young fruit to get giant-sized fruit.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 7-21 days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-85 Degrees F
• Seed Depth: 1 inch
• Plant Spacing: 3 feet
• Frost Hardy: No
• Benincasa hispida

Growing Tips: Soak seed 24 hours. direct seed (or set out transplants) after last spring frost. Thrives in rich, moist soil.