I tried growing them last year in big 5 gallon buckets on my deck but had no luck. So,I can't give any input on growing them. LOL Those look like apple gourds to me but I could be wrong. Actually that sounds too big for an apple,maybe a kettle or bushel gourd? I have no idea but they are nice. I have heard it is best to leave them on the vine as long as possible. Some leave them out during the winter to dry,but I don't know a lot about that either. A man down the road gave me 12 birdhouse gourds last fall. I brought them home and put them inside the cut off legs of old panty hose and hung hung them on my deck from the rafters to dry. They dried beautifully. No bad spots and very little mold. Don't know if panty hose would hold yours though,but guess you could try it. LOL. Can't wait to see what yours look like when they are dry. Good luck with them.......Lillie

Those aren't birdhouse gourds. They look very similar to the apple gourds I've grown.

Kate

Where did you get the seeds? They do look like apple gourds and if they are as big as a bowling ball you are going to have some nice apples!.....Lillie

Well....I've visited a few more sites; looked up my seed packet.

I'm sure you are right: they are apple gourds. Turns out there are 3 of them (one is hidden) with 2 measuring slightly over 6" in diamater and the 3rd about 4" in diamater. According to one site, apple gourds can get up to 8", so although they are WAY bigger than apples, a bowling ball sized apple gourd is within the realm of expectation!

The seed packet is a Burpee packet for large bottle gourds.
Ha!
So much for the picture on the pack.

Now that I know what they are, I can sit back and worry if they will ripen before the first freeze--just a few short weeks away.
Additional Newbee Q's:
Are they likey to ripen this fall?

Do other Northern growers leave them on the vine, let nature take its course, or do you "green clean"?

Do I have to clean the insides out If I don't wish to cut them for use?

Are apple gourds sturdy enough for a birdhouse, or should I find another use for them indoors?

One thing I know for sure: this gourd thing is facinating!

Thank you for your expertise!!

A bowling ball size apple gourd is definitely possible. In fact,I have one sitting on the shelf in front of me almost that big.
Sounds like Mr. Burpee got his seeds mixed up!LOL
I don't know that gourds actually "ripen". But then again,I have never grown them. I do know whatever size they are when the vine dies they will dry. Cut them off,leave them on,leave them outside,bring them in.....everyone has their own opinion and ways of doing it. Drying time can take several months,depending on the size of the gourd,where it is dried,etc. I do know you shouldn't dry or store the uncleaned gourds in the house or in the area where you live because of molds on the gourds. Also when cleaning,cutting and sanding gourds always wear a mask or respirator and work in a well ventilated area. The molds inside and on the outside of the gourds can cause serious respiratory problems. I learned the hard way. Didn't know this and had a severe sinus infection for almost a year before I accidently read somewhere that I needed to use a mask. I think there is a tutorial on this board somewhere with this information.
Can't help you with the question about leaving them on the vine or green cleaning either.
You don't have to clean out the insides if you aren't planning to cut them for a bird house or container.I can tell you that they are really hard to clean out.The seeds dry into a really hard,firm mass and it is hard to break up sometimes.
Whether or not they would be sturdy enough for a bird house will depend on the thickness of the dried gourd. All of the apple gourds I have purchased were really hard and thick but I don't know if they are all that way or if soil and climate have a bearing on that.
Yes gourds are fascinating and very addictive! Good luck with your project..........Lillie

Thank you, Lillie.

If you're not a grower.....you must be an ARTIST!!!

Care to share a photo of your work? I'm interested in one of the oldest art forms known to man...WooHoo!!

Seriously..show me...I'm learning to appreciate something special, I think. Teach me??

Newbee-ness has its privliages, yes?

I guess I am an artist,certainly not a professional one though. I did enter some of my gourd work in the recent County Fair and won 4 first place ribbons,one second place and a reserve champion. Of course there were no other gourds to judge against so I don't know what that says about my work! LOL The judge did give me lots of compliments and that made me feel good. I suggested having a category just for gourd art next year but don't know
if they will. Most of what I know about gourds I have found on the internet and a self taught,trial and error kind of thing. I have some pictures on another site of some of my first ones but don't know if just anyone can open it or not. If you can,keep in mind these are the first attempt for me at anything to do with gourds. Hopefully I have improved along the way. I have a roll of film in my camera right now with pictures of all the gourds I have recently done and the ones I won ribbons on. I need to finish the roll and have it developed.As soon as I do that,I will post pictures......Lillie

Here is a link that might be useful: My Gourds

I don't grow gourd either because of not having much sun. I do plan on growing some in containers next year. Looks to me like your first attempt at growing gourds has been very succesful. You gourd looks like a strawberry gourd to me although you did say the package said apple gourd, right.

In my favorite book "The Complete Book of Gourd Crafts" it says that by pushing at the base of the stem and the gourd feels firm and solid to the touch it should be mature and should have a waxy skin on it. It should stay on the vine until the vine has dried up and has turned brown. Then you can either leave it outside or bring in inside to a well ventilated place and store off the ground. You can prevent mold from occuring on a freshly harvested gourd by frequently wiping with a mild solution of disinfectant during the long drying process.

To hasten the drying process watch to see when the gourd turns from green to a cream white and starts to loosen. But, it will mold faster and you need to watch it and wipe frequently with water and disinfectant.

If you decide that this is something you really want to get into, I definitely suggest the "The Complete Book of Gourd Crafts" by Jim Widess and Ginger Summit. The are very well known in the gourd world and the book tells you everything you need to know from putting seeds in the ground up thru decorating.

Lillie, your photos of your gourds are very good. Post some new ones when you get them.

Nonnie

intrepid,

I thought my apple gourds were so beautiful, I cut them off the vine before the first hard frost and kept them as decorations in the house (my daughter made them little Santa hats for Christmas). They looked beautiful until about mid-January when a couple of them rotted and were composted, and I put the others in a cool, unused room where they dried successfully. They showed a little sign of shriveling in the middle, probably because they weren't completely mature when I picked them. I didn't use them for crafts because I had a lot of other gourds that were more the shape and type I was interested in.

It can be difficult to grow hard shelled gourds to maturity in colder zones. According to the information I've read, the stem should be dry on the gourd and the foliage should die before the gourd is harvested. I've never had either of those things happen before hard frost here in MN. Despite the fact that I harvest the gourds before they are mature, I have about a 70% success rate drying birdhouse, swan, dipper and pear gourds, but no success drying big gourds, like the kettle type.

It's been noted in other threads that fully mature gourds can be left on the vine over the winter to let them cure naturally, but I've never had luck with that either. Most of them rotted and those that didn't were damaged by animals.

Lillie, your gourds are very unique and inspiring.

Kate

Thank you both..........Lillie

I grew 2 apple gourds last year. First, let them stay on the vine until after a very hard frost. Then you can either 1) leave them outside all winter, the waxy skin will then be scraped off and you may have a molted outside, but you will probably have to wait about another full summer for the gourd inside to become dry enough to use--it will stay very heavy until dry. or 2) after the hard frost, using the non sharp side of a knife, gently scrape off the waxy layer and place indoors over a heat vent. the outside will stay an even tan color and will dry faster, but look at it ocassionally and wipe it with mild bleach solution to remove mold on it, not healthy for YOU in the house. If you cut open a non-dry gourd, it will often rot/shrivel. Just make sure it weighs very little before opening it-sometimes you can hear the seeds rattling inside when you shake it.

I dried some birdhouse gourds last year,hanging on my deck inside panty hose.They were harvested in Sept/Oct and were dry by March. I think drying time depends a lot on climate,where they are dried and gourd size. I live in W TX and we had a very mild winter. I do not recommend drying gourds inside your house under ANY circumstances,even if you wipe the mold off with bleach water. There will still be some mold spores that will float around and they can cause all kinds of upper respiratory and lung problems. If the gourds develope any soft spots,they will probably rot and never dry. Throw them away. The ones I dried never had a waxy skin and turned out beautifully. They all dried a beautiful tan color and had very little mottling(though I think mottling is a lot of the beauty of the gourd)and very little mold. I don't know if drying them hanging in the panty hose had anything to do with that or if it was the type if gourd. In the 2 years that I have been working with gourds I have only run across a couple with a waxy skin that had to be scraped or sanded................Lillie

intrepidgardener, it's so good to see another MN gourd grower! When I first started growing gourds I was told they couldn't be grown here in MN! As to drying them in MN I've actually left smaller gourds on my fence over the winter and they dried fine. I dry most of mine in a shed but remember any dried outside won't have good seeds. I actually think they dry faster outside in our winters. Just watch out for mice! I have green cleaned gourds and hung them in front of a furnace vent. Just make sure they aren't allowed to mold. They'll dry very fast and are great if you want to wood burn on them.
Good luck and happy gourding!
Sue in S. MN

Thank you, all for your input. There are lots more gourds than I thought out there. Huge & heavy, beautiful & voluptious. Sort of Jurassic....

I plan on leaving them on the vine till the snow flies, and begins to pile up. Then I will put them in the garage. I will play it all by ear from there....lots to learn. Every year is different up here as far as climate & conditions, and this will be my first try.

No matter the outcome, I have enjoyed growing this beautiful, bountious vine in my yard. I can't believe everyone dosen't have one!!

Thanks for the photos, Lillie. They are an inspiration.

Wish me luck!!

Those are gourdgeous! I tried birdhouse gourds as well, actually I forgot where I planted them...they were not in a very good full sun spot ...mine are only 4 inches long.
Way to go garden newbie.

intrepidgardener,
I agree with everyone else I growed apple gourds
this year for my 3 daughters-in-law that are all teachers.
My one daughter-in-law teaches kindergarden and she going
to have all her kids sign their names on a dry apple gourd every year.She told me the other day that she only needs 20
more,I have about 12 nice ones to dry this year which will give me a good head start.
Don