Gardening

HEARTY GREENERY Gourd plants have large leaves that produce yellow flowers.

Growing gourds

Hard-skinned fruits grow well in this area

By KATE RUSSELL

Some people say gardeners are out of their gourds, spending so much time with plants. Of course, that sort of commentary on dedication and commitment can also be taken as a compliment.

People have been growing gourds for more than 13,000 years, making them one of the oldest domesticated plants. It’s also one of the biggest edible plant groups. Most gourds are large, fleshy, hardskinned fruits, called pepos. There are edible gourds, sponge gourds, and bottle gourds. Luffas, used in the bath, are sponge gourds. Bottle gourds are used to make containers, musical instruments called güiros, birdhouses, bird feeders, and some amazing art. There are also edible snake gourds from Asia. The red flesh of snake gourds is used as a tomato substitute.

Gourds come in all shapes and sizes. Some are no bigger than your thumb, while the biggest on record was a pumpkin that weighed in at 2,323.7-pounds in 2014. For comparison, your average car weighs 4,000 pounds. These behemoths require a lot of time, water and real estate.

Most gourds are annual vines, though there are bush varieties and a few trees. Most gourd plants use tendrils to climb. They have large hand-shaped leaves that are often covered with bristles. Stems tend to be hairy. These plants produce large orange, yellow, or white flowers which are either male or female, making hand-pollination easy. Cross-pollination can occur between some gourds, but not with others. It depends on which group they are in.

To be technically correct, the word gourd refers to two specific genera of Cucurbitaceae: Lagenaria and Cucurbita. Edible gourds (Cucurbita) are from Central America and bottle gourds (Lagenaria) are native to Africa. The Latin word lagena means bottle or flask. Edible gourds include buffalo gourds, burr gherkins, chayote, cucamelons, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and squash.

Gourds need lots of heat and sunshine, something we have in abundance in our area. Annual gourds also need frequent irrigation to reach full size. Large seeds should be planted 1-2 inches deep in loose, nutrient-rich soil that is at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Cattle panels, trellising and pergolas can be used to keep the fruit off the ground.

If the leaves of your gourd plants look skinny and the fruit develops warts, they may have been infected with zucchini yellow mosaic, while witches’ brooms may indicate aster yellows squash gourd mosaic. Other gourd diseases include blights, powdery mildew and squash mosaic. The chance of these diseases occurring can be significantly reduced by spacing plants out properly and avoiding overhead watering. Cucumber beetles, flea beetles, guava fruit flies, melon flies, rats and squash vine borers will be the most commonly seen pests.

An interesting note on gourds: these plants often exhibit tiny knobby glands, called extrafloral nectaries, that produce nectar to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects.