Re: A Question About Gourds
I would leave them on the vine until just before the first frost. If you
don't want to leave them that long, leave then until the skin starts to shine &
the skin is hard to scratch with your fingernail, you should not be able to
depress the shell by squeezing ether.
Stems do not drop away unless the gourd rots, it becomes woody when mature.
Drying: Hopefully your have forced hot air heat in your house, if you do put
them near or on top of the vents or on top of the duct work in the cellar.
They take several months to dry. I grow mine on a 10' H 40' W trellis, Collins
Long Gourd, Caveman's Club, Birdhouse, Dipper, Apple, Bushel, Corsican, &
Speckled Swan. Amazing how much weight the vine can hold, I just picked a 16 lb.
Caveman's Club hanging on the Trellis.
George Brooks
North Tewksbury, MA USA
<A HREF="http://www.greenholloworchard.com/photo3.html";>2003 Pumpkin Patch Updates</A>
Approximately 25 miles Northwest of Boston
in the Merrimack River Valley
Zone 5N
Personal Bests
617.6 1991
641 1993
648 2000 (Unofficial & died prematurely on Aug 29)
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