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"Preserving the future,
one seed at a time." ™
Find Your Hardiness Zone
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Gourds
Lagenaria
siceraria cultivars
unless otherwise noted.
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Gourds
have been used by many cultures as a raw material used to craft utensils, containers, vessels, and bowls for thousands of
years.
[
Click here for Growing & Harvest
Information ]
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 Birdhouse or Bottleneck Gourd
125 days — These plants, grown like
winter squash, yield
large, bottle-shaped
 fruits
that can be dried and used as decorations or birdhouses.
Matures very late in the season so
in areas with shorter growing seasons, plant early or indoors in
peat pots. |
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 Bushel Gourd
130 days — This
requires a lot of space to grow and a long season for the fruits
to reach full size. With a little care, you should be able
to get fruits at least the size of a basketball.
The gourd in the photo was planted on the farm in Northern Oregon
on June 6th and harvested on October 31st. Longer season areas
should result in much larger specimens. |
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Calabash
Gourd
120 days — The fruits are 12 to 15 inches in length, tan
in color, smooth, and the neck is curved at the stem end.
Powder horn style.
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 Cucuzzi (a.k.a. 'Italian
Edible Gourd', 'Longissima' or ' Indian Squash')
75 days — Similar to vining type summer squash in growth
habit with pretty, evening blooming, white flowers and large
leaves that form a canopy over stems and fruit. The mature fruits
are very ornamental and interesting.
Although they will
reach two to three feet in length and three inches in diameter, harvest at
the tender stage when six inches long and one inch in diameter and use
like summer squash.
Some think that the
flavor is rather bland but try them sautéed in olive oil with
garlic and basil and finished off with a sprinkling of parmesan
cheese. Yum! |
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  Longhandle
Dipper Gourd
120 days
— Can also be used for birdhouses.
The neck is very long and
makes a perfect handle when dried and the bulb end is cut into the
shape of a dipper. |
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Luffa Sponge (a.k.a. 'Dishrag
Gourd' or 'Vegetable Sponge')
Luffa aegyptiaca
130 days
— Since it requires a very long, hot growing season, most
areas will need to start the plants indoors. Plant out in
well manured, fertile soil. The fruits are twelve to fifteen inches
long but can reach thirty inches. When young (under six inches) they are
eaten like zucchini. At maturity, when dry, they are peeled,
cleaned and used as fibrous bath sponges.
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Spoon
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Cucurbita
pepo var ovifera
 100 days — The
 fruits
of spoon are fairly small, five to six inch long, narrow curved
neck with a three inch bulb, and are bi-colored orange and green.
Flowers are yellow and not white. |
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 Turk’s
Turban (Cucurbita maxima)
100 days
— This pre-1800 heirloom is becoming a very popular variety for
decoration because of its unique and colorful fruit. It resembles
a butternut but has a
cream-colored ‘turban’ that is colorfully striped with green,
yellow, orange, and red. The ten inch diameter fruit weigh about
five
pounds and are durable if not bruised. They are fair as a table
squash. |
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