A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Gourd Question!

My sister has some gourds from the fall piled up in her yard that she never used. I am not sure they are in the best condition after this weather.. but if the seeds inside are still in good condition and not rotted.. can they be planted in the season?

IF they appear to be in good condition, & not moldy or rotted, I say why not give it a try ??--be sure to dry them out well, so they dont mold in the mean time though. They should/could be kept in the gourd until it rattles, sorta like a maraca. But after they are dry in the gourd,

if you think you should look at them then do the newspaper thing:
Spread the seeds on a layer of newspaper, and let them dry in a cool place for several weeks. When they are well dried, store them in a tightly sealed jar kept in a cool location. ( like say a refrigerator or a cool garage ) If you take a small cloth bag and fill with Powdered milk , tie it shut and place it in the same jar, it will absorb any extra moisture.

Keep seeds away from light or Moisture between collecting and planting. This will keep seeds in a dormant state until you are ready/able to plant

Good luck & keep us informed...

I love planting gourds. I only get a few on on my vines and I've only dried one. The dogs got the other ones a few years ago.

Where do you guys buy your gourd seeds? As I said I only have 1 gourd that survived the dogs and I don't want to open it to get the seeds out. I've dried it and have it sitting on the back porch - quite lovely if I do say so myself.

Got me some birdhouse gourd seeds!!! Yippee!!

wow That is fantastic !!!