Re: MtMan-List: Gourds

[mxhbc@TTACS.TTU.EDU (Henry B. Crawford)]

What timing!!  I just harvested this year's crop of gourds yesterday.  I
usually wait till the first freeze, but we've had too much wet weather
lately, and this is the time the vines should be drying in preparation for
harvesting.  Too much moisture this late could be bad for them.  (I lost a
few of them in the last couple of weeks)

The key is keep them dry and allow air circulation.  I use a couple of mesh
laundry bags and hang them up in my shed.  That gives them good circulation
and keeps the dogs and critters away.  In our climate (West Texas) it won't
take very long to dry them, maybe a month or two, depending on how dry we
are.  If you have some that broke or softened on the vine, you can still
salvage the seeds.

Cheers,
HBC

>Ho the list,
>Have been following the lines on growing and preparing gourds. I missed how to
>dry out the gourds before sealing with wax. I've heard you have to drill a
>couple holes in the bottom to let the moisture out and prevent the gourd from
>rotting. Would just cutting off a couple inches of the neck work? And if I
>must punch holes in it, does it matter where?
>Steve

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Henry B. Crawford        Curator of History
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