Gourds for Christmas Decoration

This one has grown up, over and along the hedge

For the last few years, we’ve grown gourds during the summer and Margaret has dried them, varnished them and used them for Christmas decorations and presents.

In 2008, we had an excellent crop and three people got gifts of dishes filled with varnished gourds. I’d have preferred a bottle of malt, but I didn’t get a dish of gourds, so can’t complain.

That was a good year for gourd growing (they like it hot) and I grew them on the ground like you’d grow courgettes. Those that did best were the ones that climbed up through the conifers at the bottom and hung clear. They have really strong tendrils that reach out, wrap around twigs and then coil into a spring shape so there is some flexibility and the tendril doesn’t snap in the wind (very clever, gourds). They are excellent climbers!

Next year, was wet and cold and the gourds did terribly. We hardly had enough for Margaret and none for presents.

In 2010, we had more success, but Margaret experimented with two coats of varnish and it didn’t work, they went all gooey. I’m not sure what went wrong. I suspect that not enough time was allowed between coats or that the gourds were not fully dried out.

Anyway, last year, we tried a new technique. Instead of growing them in the ground, we grew them in large old pots which had become a bit battered to hold flowers and look pretty. I grew them up against the hedge, so they were in sun, sheltered (to a degree) from the wind and I also encouraged them to climb up the hedge - not that they needed much encouragement! There’s no truth that this technique was developed to avoid cutting the hedge during the summer gourd-growing season.

It was a considerable success and Margaret also perfected the drying/varnishing process; then added some glue and glitter to really make them look Christmassy - bejazzled gourds.

They lasted until well after Christmas and would probably have still been OK this year. Anyway, we didn’t see any gourd seeds in the shops this spring so, instead of going on the Thompson and Morgan website, I decided to save the seeds from last year's. I carefully selected the best shapes and colours, scooped out the seeds and dried them. I experimented with a small selection and they germinated well, so I planted up the rest and got really good germination rate - well over 70 per cent.


The gourd plants went three to a pot and we had five pots along the hedge. The summer hasn’t been great weather-wise, but all except one pot, have done well. Oddly, the fruits from the seed is nothing like the parent fruit. I’d expected to get knobbly plants from the seed of knobbly fruit, but the plants are completely random. We’ve got some that have made massive fruits (almost like marrows) some long stripey one that I’ve never seen the like of and some familiar shapes. Nearer the house, the plants have grown up, over and along the hedge and there are some big fruits on the field side. I think we’ll find a lot of fruits when we cut the hedge that we just can’t see at present.

I don’t know why the size, colours and shapes are so different. Perhaps some pollen from my sister’s courgette plants drifted across or a bee dropped some pollen from the pumpkin patch at John’s nursery.

Anyway, I’ll update with a report on the crop and some pictures of the finished products ...












Gourd update 7/12/12

The gourds have been drying in the airing cupboard and some on the windowsill. Margaret has thrown away some of the less attractive ones and the remaining crop is now ready for varnishing and decoration.

Some of the colours have really changed and come out as the fruits have dried. It's not a bad crop and some quite unusual colours and shapes. Only disappointment was a large number of white egg-shaped fruits and also some very large fruits; almost marrow-sized.

Above and below: the gourd crop dried and ready for varnishing and decoration

Here is the finished product. After a couple of months drying in the airing cupboard, they have been varnished and Margaret added the glitter yesterday (December 15)