Growing Gourds: Making Gourd Art

Gourds are super easy to grow. They don't need extra pampering like other garden veggies and herbs. They grow super super fast - clinging to anything you let them climb up. And, their dried shells make amazing art.


I am growing tons of gourds on my patio area. They are planted off the edge of the porch, but from post to post on the patio, I zig-zagged twine from hook to hook to make ladders they could grow up. They have grown up and across to create doorways to the yard and shade on the patio. Besides being lovely and needing almost zero care, they grow blossoms and gourds fast. 

Let them sit there and dry out in the fall, drying out on the dead vines. It will add some autumn atmosphere and allow them to dry nicely.

There's a lot you can do with gourds. Here's just some things (I even like the idea of cutting them in half and using the bottom cup half to do starter plants in each spring).

Growing vines, let them climb up string, teepee made of wood posts, ladder, fencing....

Halloween lanterns

 Cut patterns and turned into lamp

painted for decor

candleholder

painted

Cut lampshade to project pattern

Other ideas - 

Like the lampshade above that has a hole to plug the lightbulb in, consider doing cut out patterns and hanging over patio lights.