Gourd Seeds
Gourd Seeds
The Gourd Family
The Gourd Family: This family is also known as cucurbitaceae and refers to harvests like melons, cucumbers, luffas, watermelons and squashes. All these plants grow as vines.
Melons can refer to either the fruit or the plant and different cultivars of melon have been produced, one of them being muskmelon. Very often the fruit is mistaken to be a vegetable and some call it a culinary vegetable. It can thus be classified as: culinary vegetables, and culinary fruit. Some of the melons are:
Bitter melon is a culinary vegetable and is one of the bitterest vegetables. It is also called as bitter melon or bitter gourd and is cultivated in south Asia, Africa, China, and Caribbean. Bitter gourd has some medicinal properties; it helps in fighting sluggish digestion, constipation, and dyspepsia. It is also useful in treating malaria and diabetes. Laboratory tests reveal that bitter gourd can help in treatment of HIV infection.
Winter melon is also called as ash gourd or white gourd and is consumed as a vegetable. It is also known as wax gourd for its wax-like outer body. It is bitter and is eaten by south and east Asians. It is extensively used by Indians and Pakistanis to make a candy called the petha and is also made into a fruit drink.
Watermelon is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family and is one of the most common melons found in the world. It is a rich source of vitamin C and its seeds contain fat and protein and are consumed by many as a snack. Its seed is also used to extract oil. There are more than 1200 varieties of watermelons. Some of the varieties are: Carolina Cross, Yellow Crimson Watermelon, Orangeglo, Densuke Watermelon, Cream of Saskatchewan, Melitopolski, and Moon and Stars.
About the Author
How do I grow gourds?
I planted 9 gourd seeds all in a row about a 2 feet apart along side my house. They are growing real good the vines are bout 3 feet long. But, they are growing little stringy things that are growing straight and some are curly>>>my question is that do I trim the stringy things? because Im afraid of them attaching themselves to my other gourd plants and strangling them. But Ive seen pictures online and I see the gourds with stringy things and they dont looked trimmed. The pictures are of a bunch of gourds plants growing right next to each other. I know I can get a little fence put along side my wall to keep the vines from getting wild. So, do I just need to water my gourds and leave every thing else alone?
NO! Please don't trim the "stringy things". They are actually called tendrils. These are like bean or pea tendrils. Their purpose is climbing. If you were patient enough you could actually sit still with your finger next to one of these tendrils & it would wrap itself aroud you finger!
I love gourds & am growing Birdhouse & Dipper gourds this year.
Here is how gourds need to be grown:
Gourds grow like gangbusters in the midst of summer heat. Vines scramble across the ground, shooting out a few feet in a few days. If you have planted other vining crops like squash or cukes, gourds take pretty much the same care.
Where to Plant
Choose a location that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun. Depending on variety, vines can reach up to 65 feet in length, so leave plenty of room for them to sprawl on the outer edges of your garden, or use a very sturdy trellis. If possible, direct luffa gourd vines to grow up a tree, ramada, or trellis. This allows the gourd itself to hang down with good air circulation, rather than rest against moist soil where it can rot. It also helps the fruit to maintain a nice straight shape suitable for making loofa sponges.
Sowing Seeds
Sow seeds when soil temperatures have warmed up, anytime from March through early August. Seeds germinate quickly but then young plants seem to sit awhile before suddenly growing by leaps and bounds when hot weather kicks in, so I don't miss much by planting late in the season. Just make sure that the gourd variety you select can mature before the first hard frost in your area. Ornamental gourds (Cucurbita pepo) with the bright colors used for holiday table decorations take about 90 days to mature. Hard-shelled gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) that are used for arts and crafts take longer, about 120 days. Luffa gourds (Luffa cylindrica) are fleshier and take about 130 days. Since it's getting a bit late in the season, plant them in a location protected from frost or near a wall with reflected heat to extend the growing season.
I like to let the vines scramble up, over & around tipi's made of 3-4 Large 6 foot stakes. The lush vines with their big leaves completely obscure the tipi, creating a prehistoric-looking green mound.
If you incorporate plenty of organic matter into the soil before planting, you probably won't need additional fertilizer. Sow seeds about 1 to 1-1/2 inches deep and leave 3 to 6 feet of space between plants. Keep soil moist until germination. If you haven't taken these steps as you said you already planted your seeds, I always apply fish emulsion fertilizer about 1x ervery 2 weeks.
Watering
Keep plants well watered, but don't overwater if the plants wilt in the afternoon heat. Plants can lose more water through transpiration (water loss from the leaves) than the roots can take up to replace it during hot weather. If the plants are wilted in the afternoon, wait until morning to water. They may recover. If still wilted in the morning, give them a drink.
I hope this information helps. Be sure to let me know if you have any other questions.
Happy Gardening & Warm Blessings
Gourd Seeds
bottle gourd with sesame seeds
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Seeds $14.99 Seeds |
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Gourd Pyrography $11.16 Gourd Pyrography |
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Seeds! Seeds! Seeds $4.47 Seeds! Seeds! Seeds |
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Gourd Plant $24.99 Gourd Plant - Photographic Print |
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The Gourd Tree $89.99 Jamie Wyeth The Gourd Tree - Serigraph |
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Gourd maracas, 'Green Jungle' (pair) $29.95 Resplendent in nature's glory, these maracas set the beat to melodies from south of the equator. Dionisio Quilla crafts the lively instruments from tutuma gourds, which he dries under the sun once emptied of their seeds. When ready, he uses a burin to mark and paint a verdant jungle composition. The maracas are filled with small beans, and sealed with tornillo wood handles. Please expect a slight variation in the shape and since of the maracas, which depend on the gourds' natural shape. |
How to Cook Pumpkin Seeds
If you're like me, you've been all over the fresh gourds this fall. Cooking and roasting fresh squash and pumpkin is a delicious and nutritious way to eat healthy and locally during these cooler months. After all, you got to get your vitamin A some how! When it comes to food, I hate to see anything get wasted, and my squashes and pumpkins are no exception. I even save the skins to make broth. But what I really hate to see get wasted with a pumpkin or squash are their delicious seeds.
I know not everyone is a big fan of pumpkin seeds, but I think too many people casually toss them aside not realizing just how tasty they are. Sure, toasting pumpkin seeds takes a bit of extra effort, but if you're going to go ahead and roast your own pumpkin anyways, you might as well go all the way and toast the seeds. Don't know how to toast your own pumpkin seeds? Well, then let me be of some assistance!
- Cut open your pumpkin (or squash) and scoop out the membrane-y insides with a metal spoon. This is much easier to do with a squash than with a pumpkin, but you're going to do this anyway if you plan on cooking with fresh pumpkin or squash. Place all of the innards in a bowl and set aside. Go ahead and start prepping your pumpkin for whatever culinary idea you have in mind.
- As your pumpkin (or gourd) is cooking away, it's time to start on those pumpkin seeds. Get yourself a nice comfy chair and get sorting! Have two separate bowls out. Grab a chunk of fleshy pumpkin innards and squeeze out all the seeds into a clean bowl. Discard the now-seedless innards into a separate bowl. You can save this for compost or broth, or just throw it away as it's not very tasty.
- Keep squeezing out all the seeds from the innards until all of your pumpkin seeds have been isolated. Eliminate the fleshy innards from your kitchen.
- Then, heat a saucepan on your stove top on the highest heat setting possible. Once your pan is plenty hot, turn the heat down to medium. I like to do it this way because it ensures that the pan has plenty of heat to efficiently toast the pumpkin seeds, but is not too hot, as you don't want burnt pumpkin seeds.
- As the pan is heating up, rinse and pat dry your pumpkin seeds. I like to do this eliminate all excess gook from the seeds, but I want my pumpkin seeds to be dry for toasting.
- Once the pan has reached the desired temperature, spray the bottom with cooking spray to avoid sticking, and then add your seeds. You'll hear plenty of sizzling, and that's okay. You do have to keep the seeds moving to avoid burning.
- After a few minutes, add your spices. I like to keep mine simple with only fresh cracked pepper and some kosher salt. You can add whatever flavors you want, but I recommend only a light amount of spice and no sauces. I like my pumpkin seeds to be nice and crispy, and sauces and excess spices can make seeds soggy and gross.
- You'll know the pumpkin seeds are done when they all take on a light brown color. If you hear some popping, don't be alarmed. Some popping is good, but too much means your seeds are burning. Overall, it usually takes me about 5 minutes to cook pumpkin seeds on the stove top.
And there you have it! I like toasted pumpkin seeds as a morning snack, or as a garnish on salads or soups. Of course, you can toast up any kind of gourd seed. Pumpkin seeds are my favorite, but the seeds of any type of squash are also plenty tasty. Enjoy!
What you do with your pumpkin and squash seeds?
About the Author
Matthew Kaplan is the Editor of FaveDiets.com
Gourd Seeds