Lagenaria spp.
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Climbing annual broad-leafed vine. Native to the tropics of Africa,
Asia and the New World. Gourds are highly utilitarian and can be
decorated and shaped in manners limited only by tradition or imagination.
They often play a part in magico-religious ceremony. This is a mixture
of several species of outrageously shaped gourds, including African bushels,
calabashes, kettles, “minis,” dippers, canteens, nesteggs, and rattles.
These gourds may be grown out on trellises, harvested (green) just before
the first frost, then kept in burlap sacks in a shed or hanging under the
eaves until they slow-dry and cure. To make a clear-complexioned
gourd, the mold should be wiped from the surface with a cloth several times
during this curing process. Once they are thoroughly dry they can
be shaped. Some people eat the immature fruits, claiming they taste
like summer squash, but I prefer summer squash, and am concerned about
possible toxicity of certain cultivars. If you breathe
a great deal of the dust while sanding and cutting dried gourds it can
make you sick, so wear a bandanna or dust-mask.
Cultivation: Extra care. Gourds can be successfully grown
any place where tomatoes will ripen. From mid-spring to early summer,
soak seeds overnight in warm water, then plant 1 inch deep, with their
little “ears” pointing up, in good, composty soil. Keep warm and
moist until germination. Can be hurried along by starting them indoors
in early spring in gallon pots.
Return
to Herb Seed Index