Growing Utility Gourds

Specialty gourds aren't just fun to grow. They're functional, too. Since they come in so many different shapes and sizes and their final products are so durable, you can turn them into all kinds of useful things. For instance, some gourds can be made into cozy homes for birds. Some can be crafted into baskets, bottles or spoons. Others are perfect for making musical instruments, kids' toys, decorative boxes and more.

- Susan M. Brackney

Most but not all of these are "hardshell" gourds from the Lagenaria genus. Their mature fruits have surprisingly thick walls and, once the fruits have completely dried out, they become very woody and can last for many years. Some utility gourds that fall outside of the hardshell category include luffa sponge gourds and a few of the smaller decorative type gourds (Cucurbita pepo) that you often see this time of year.

The Gateway Gourd

Niki Jabbour, Savvy Gardening co-founder and the author of Niki Jabbour's Veggie Garden Remix, initially started growing hardshell gourds as a novelty for her young children. "We grew lots of different hardshell types like 'Speckled Swan' and 'Large Dipper,'" Jabbour says. But it was the snake gourd that really captivated the family.

Long and skinny like a serpent, snake gourds can reach lengths of 4 to 6 feet and beyond. Some growers intentionally manipulate young snake gourds so that they form spirals or other interesting shapes. "If I let them grow on the ground, the fruits do tend to curl," Jabbour says. "If I grow them up a trellis, then they grow straight [down], which is nice. But sometimes the trellis isn't quite tall enough or the fruit starts to form lower on the vine; it'll grow straight, straight, straight, and then it'll hit the ground and curve, so, I've got a C-shape then."

Depending on when you harvest them, some utility gourds may also deserve a spot on your dinner plate. In the case of the snake gourd (