Gourd Growing Diary Revisted

A friend gave me some green miniature bottle gourds, so all is not lost. I do get to experience the drying process even though I did not have any success in growing gourds. According to my research, this process is going to take patience. It could take months for the gourds to dry completely and be ready for crafting.

Gourd Growing Diary

I am sad to say my attempt at growing gourds was unsuccessful. I had four plants. Two of the plants never bore any flowers or pepos (baby gourds). One bore flowers only. And, one bore flowers and pepos. The pepos died off within days of their development. I believe the plants did not do well primarily because of a lack of sun. I get less than two hours of sun per day on my patio. Then, my plants were plagued with powdery mildew even though I treated them with organic fungicide.

Gourd Growing Diary Update

My gourd plants have turned into vines. And, I have one white blossom with a pepo or baby gourd so far. I also got this book, Gourds in Your Garden, by Ginger Summit, which has been very helpful. I learned that:

1). Ornamental and luffa gourd plants bloom during the day and have yellow blossoms.

2). Hardshell gourds bloom at night and have white blossoms.

3). Blossoms of all the vines last only 24 hours.

4). The vines have both female and male blossoms.

Gourd Hunting I Go

I recently visited the Welburn Gourd Farm. And I can't tell you how deliciously wonderful it was searching through all the racks of gourds. There were jewel, maranka, bottle, canteen, zucca, snake, kettle, warty, dipper, and more, oh my!

Gourd Growing Diary

I am sad to report that my sproutlings died. Undaunted, I decided to try again. This time I took three seeds and planted each in individual pots about an inch deep in potting soil. I also left them outside instead growing them inside. I watered them every other day. One sprouted. The other two did not. I replanted the two pots with two seeds per pot. And, I am happy to say that all the seeds sprouted and are growing beautifully.

Gourd Trivia

Did you know . . .

1. The gourd was used as the official currency of Haiti in the early 1800s. Even today, the standard coin of Haiti is called a gourde.

2. Gourds are used as a source of food in many cultures including India, Thailand and Asia.

3. The ancient Hawaiians had over 40 uses for the gourd.

4. The Fulani people of West Africa have at least 20 different terms referring to the size and use of the gourd.

5. The gourd is used as metaphor for the Big Dipper, a constellation that points the way North. The song, Follow the Drinking Gourd, was created by enslaved African Americans. The lyrics were coded directions explaining how and when to escape from the southern slave states to the North.

Playing an Africanism Forward

Af-ri-can-ism. A characteristically African cultural feature, such as a belief, custom or linguistic feature. Source: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Africanism.

From the first gourd workshop I took back in the 1980s, I have felt an affinity with gourds. Gourd crafting answers a longing to be connected to the stream of black culture and historic consciousness. Simply put, creating art with gourds makes me feel whole.

When I reference gourds, I always speak of them as female. In John Storm Roberts' book, Black Music of Two Worlds: African, Caribbean, Latin, and African-American Traditions, he states that "another intriguing Africanism in New World drums is that percussion instruments are often given sexual attributes. Not only are whole classes of instruments seen as male or female (drum = male, calabash percussion = female, for example)." Subconsciously, I am carrying an Africanism forward. The soul never forgets!

Gourd Wonderful

I have ordered gourds via the Internet and am always delighted to receive my box filled with the marvels of the plant world. However, there is nothing like going to a gourd farm and selecting your own gourds.

Since moving to California, one of my favorite places to visit is the Welburn Gourd Farm in Fallbrook, California. The farm is located deep in a canyon where the asphalt turns into a dirt road. Though the drive can be long and arduous, the journey’s well worth it. The sight of fields filled with gourds and the racks of dried gourds beckoning with infinite creative possibilities is simply wonderful and exhilarating!