Gourd (Repost)

Can you see four gourds here. Yes, and that is only from one vine. First year with this gourd was very nice, then it went downhill because of the weather. Not enough warm months from where I am.This was taken three years ago when my gourd had plenty of fruits. My father was so surprise when he saw that we got so much.

This one was the old fashion ones that came from back home. I still prefer the mini ones because with the big ones I had to eat it all week long. That is just too much for one single person.

Cross Pollination of Squash and Gourds

Don't worry about separating these plants. The only concern is if you plan to save seed for planting next year. Cross pollination does not affect the current year's fruits--only the seeds. (This might be a concern if, say, you were planning to harvest pumpkin seeds for roasting.) However, if you compost the plants and some of the seeds sprout, you could have some strange gourd/squash mutants growing out of the compost pile! But there's no need to worry about this year's crop.

Gourd (Upo)

This is the only thing I can show about my gourd so far. I don't think I'll be posting any fruits this year. But I saw about 3 little ones sprouting today. But I'm not sure if they will bigger or just fall off.

Anyway, this is what gourd (Upo) flowers looks like.

Growing Decorative Gourds

Gourds are both fun and practical to grow. Gourds are divided into two categories - -hard-shelled and thin-shelled varieties. Hard-shelled fruits are produced by white-flowered plants (Lagenaria siceraria). Thin-shelled gourds are produced by yellow-flowered Cucurbita pepo cultivars. Provide a deeply worked, well drained soil to which you've added one heaping shovelful of compost per plant. Large gourds can take up to 140 days to mature. You may have to start the seeds indoors so they're ready to plant when the weather warms. Direct seed the smaller types. Place about 5 seeds in each hill and thin to one strong plant. Gourds will flatten on the side in contact with the ground; avoid this by training the plants up a fence or trellis. To harvest, let the gourds ripen on the vine until the stems turn brown. Then allow them to dry fully on a rack with good air circulation. You can wax, varnish, or shellac them when they're completely dry.

Spring of 2006

My Dad making my garden bigger, getting it ready for 2007. Can you see the gourds, this was my good year for gourd, 2006.

Gourd or Upo

Gourd or Upo

Sitaw/Long Beans/Yard Beans

Sitaw/Long or Yard Beans

Okra I planted them so close to each other, lol.