You can grow your own Birdhouse gourds, and it is so much fun! They make a beautiful addition to any sunny garden spot. The best part is reaping the harvest-- no two are alike! Let them dry through the winter, and by the next spring, you can make your own birdhouse!
Growing Birdhouse Gourds
Growing Birdhouse gourds, also known as Bottle or Langenaria gourds, is a great project for kids. The best part is reaping the harvest-- no two are alike! Let them dry through the winter, and by the next spring, you can make your own birdhouse.
Choosing the Right Location
No matter where you live, gourds require two things: a sunny spot and plenty of room. Choose the sunniest place you have with a good southern exposure. Gourds grow on vines and vines love to roam. It's best to keep the vines cut back to ten feet lengths and let them crawl up some type of support structure. Any type of structure will work as long as it is very sturdy. Gourds are very heavy when they are growing. Some excellent structures are trellises, arbors, fences, stonewalls, rope strung between two poles, arches of chicken wire, and even dead trees. Gourds can be grown on the ground, and if they are very heavy should be; but they are more prone to insects and disease as well as blemishes and flattened sides. You will get the best Birdhouse gourds if you provide a good support structure for them.
In South Carolina,(for example) growing gourds is simple. Just plant the seeds outdoors AFTER THE LAST FROST in a sunny spot in mounds 10 feet apart, provide a support structure, and put of shovel full of well-rotted manure beneath the planting surface. They do not need to be fertilized after this. More fertilizer just means more vine growth and fewer gourds.
THUS.. you did not say where you live.. as noted above, if in winter climates, plant just after the LAST frost. In other areas, I would have to say EARLY spring JUST after you think the winter is over...