Birdhouse Gourd

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110-120 days to harvest 20+ foot vines Lagenaria siceraria

HEIRLOOM As I write, a Winter Wren is popping out of a birdhouse gourd on our porch and Friends, there is such joy in growing your own birdhouse gourds, well before they house any avian neighbors! Birdhouse gourds are easy to grow with massive vines (often 20 feet or more!) and abundant velvet white flowers swelling into 5 to 8 marvelously whimsical gourds per plant. If you’d love them to all to be similar shapes, send them up a trellis. And great news: an entirely separate genus/species than ‘classic’ winter squash, birdhouse gourds are less susceptible to powdery mildew and other prevalent squash diseases, making it easier to harvest all the more birdhouse gourds for you and all future generations to come.

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Organic Birdhouse Gourd

Planting Method: Transplant recommended

To Direct Sow: After last frost, sow 2 seeds every 3-5 feet in rich soil, thinning to one.

For Transplanting: More than any other squash we share, birdhouse gourds need every ounce of light and warmth we have here in Zone 5, so be sure to sow them early. Though squash prefer to be direct sown, if you grow in Zone 5 or colder we recommend starting them in 2-inch soil blocks 2 weeks before final frost to minimize root disturbance. If true leaves are emerging before it’s time to transplant, pot them up into 4-inch containers so their roots resist stress. Transplant after last frost.

Plant care: Plant with plenty of rich compost and allow for them to vine up fencing if you’d like similarly shaped gourds. Protect from cucumber beetle with floating row cover – remove when the plants start flowering. Also, as your 20+ foot vines are sprawling like green octopus arms across your garden, feel free to trim the ends of the vines to focus their energy on fruit rather than vegetative growth.

Seed Depth: 1 inch Days to Germination: 5 days at 80°F

Sun Needs: Full Height: Full Vine

Spacing (after thinning/transplanting): 3-5 feet

Days to Harvest: 110-120

Harvest: Harvest just before fall frost and cure in a warm, dry place for two weeks. To maximize storage life, keep in a cool, dry place all winter.