Preparing the ground
Selecting varieties of seed
Plow again before the vines begin
to run and add more fertilizer.
to run and add more fertilizer.
Vines are looking good
Male blossom
Have to watch for disease and "nip it in the bud"!
Time to harvest if drying on racks.
Stems should be brown for a few inches, and no
fuzz on the skin.
fuzz on the skin.
Field dried gourds
First leaves look very different
from mature leaves.
from mature leaves.
Hard shelled gourd blooms are
white and they bloom at night!
white and they bloom at night!
Ornamental gourds have yellow blossoms and bloom during the daytime.
Bend, but don't break them!
Trellis grown gourds
My African Wine Kettles just
kept growing and growing!
kept growing and growing!
Drying is an ugly process!!!!
Gourds drying in the field.