Cat, You really need more info on Gourds. IMHO the best place to get it is in Purple Martin Forums. I have one that is a tight group so when you email me for the seed info I will give you their address. I don't want to put it here because they are really serious birders and gardeners second, but they do grow their own gourds and for PM's the gourd of choice is KETTLE. The so called PM gourds really do not grow big enough for PM's. The larger gourds give the birds more room and room mean more chicks and also more protection for things that go bump in the night. To grow nice dipper gourds you have to trellis them or the necks do not grow straight. The BH and Kettle gourds should be grown on the ground and you have to watch them closely. when they start to form you need to jump in and see that they sit upright, etc. The forum will tell you all of this 1eyedJack and the Dawg

Luffa like warm temperatures, so if you try to start them too early, the seeds may rot. (We don't need to go into how I know this.) Start them when you would start squash in your area. If you want a head start, you can start them indoors in a warm area no more than 2 or 3 weeks before you would plant them outdoors. Their roots are rather delicate, so plant the whole soil ball into the ground as a single lump -- don't 'fluff' out the roots at all. Luffas grow very well on trellises, and even up trees and gutter downspouts. A friend planted a 12' long 2x4 in the ground and had clothesline rope tied to a large nail in the top end, and staked out the ends so she had a kind of teepee. Then she planted luffas at the bases of the rope stakes. The luffas grew up the ropes to the top of the pole, and kept on going, forming a wild green knot at the top. By fall, she was drowning in luffas. She gave them away to everyone, even passing strangers, whether they wanted them or not. Below is a site that shows you how to clean them for sponges. Sue Here is a link that might be useful: Cleaning luffa for sponges

Yes - just plant them, give them a trellis or fence to grow on and watch them go! They not only make great birdhouses but you can also use them for bowls, lidded containers etc - you can also carve them, paint them, woodburn them and use just about any art form on them that you can think of! Have fun! Also - remember to do a search on line for "gourd art" and see what pops up. (don't use the quotes when doing that!) Rita in Michigan Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of Gourd Art from Michigan

That is ok. The bigger the better. I have grown them in North Fulton, not far from Alpharetta, many times in the past. I never did support them like you have done. NO, NO!! don,t cut them !. Keep them on the vine as long as the vine is live, till frost or whatever. Then you can cut an let them mature/fully dry in a shack, or garage for several months., before doing any work on them. Just protect them from squirrels. --------------------------------------- P.S. You might think that with that size they must be heavy(like pumpkins), BUT they are not, b/c they are hollow inside with just some seeds, No flesh, except the wall thickness that hardens as they mature. This post was edited by seysonn on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 1:21