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Re: Drying Gourds, belatedly

Sorry I'm responding to a topic that was on the list a couple of weeks ago...BUT I just discovered a clipping I had on this subject.

It's called, "Drying gourds without rot" and has the following advise:

1. If the gourd feels heavy for its size and/or you can't hear its seeds rattle when you shake it, it needs time to cure or dry out.  When dry, the seeds rattle and the gourd feels light for its size.

2. For drying, place the gourd anywhere there is good air circulation--you can even leave it on display indoors, if you wish.

3.  Don't dry gourds directly on the ground, because they will rot.

4. About once a week, turn the gourd so that it rests on a different part of its skin and wipe with a cloth dampened in a very mild bleach, vinegar or disinfectant solution.  This will remove any developing mildew  spots and prevent rot.

5. Small gourds can dry in just a few weeks, very large gourds may require more than a year to dry out.

6. Apply colorless floor or furniture paste wax or shoe polish to revive and intensify color of gourd.

There it is--hope you gourd-growers can still use it!

Heidi in warm and sunny Central CA--planted lots of flower seeds today, and a few roses.
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