Gourd Harvest

It clearly states in the Gourd Instruction Manual (GIM) that all gourds must be harvested PRIOR to the first freeze. GIM further states that if the gourds are allowed to be damaged by a freeze they will DIE!

With these dire warnings in mind as well as the decline of the vim, vigor and vitality of the gourd vines, we decided it was time to harvest the fruit of this years labor... not counting tomatoes.

This is the last picture (taken in September 22, 2011) of the gourd trellis.  The leaves are wilting and many have
turned into crispy critters.  Clearly the vine was well past it's prime.

 GIM also states when you harvest gourds you should treat them gently to avoid bruising which may also make them DIE!  Once harvested they need to be washed in a vinegar and water solution... failure to wash them may make the DIE!  Once the gourds have been gently harvested and washed they need to be brought inside the house for about a week.  Failure to bring them in the house for about a week may make the DIE!

This is my gourd cleaning/washing station.  We wound up with 2 boxes full of gourds.  These gourds have been washed as evidenced by the vinegar and water spilled on the wood box top.

I would estimate we got about 75 gourds this year with the majority being the smaller ones in the next picture.

Each and every gourd has been hand washed just like you would was a babies face

The smallest gourd harvested is about 1 1/2 inches long.  It's one of those green guys with the vertical stripes.  The largest one is right there in the box at the bottom of the picture.

I found it interesting that some gourds were quite heavy and some light.  Maybe the lighter ones are older and have lost some of their innards.

I found a couple of gourds that had faded.  According to GIM that is because they matured and were left to wallow in the bright sun.

This is where the gourds will reside during their week in purgatory.  Under the card table in the art room (the Woman's Cave). Here mother nature will decide if they have been handled properly or if they must DIE.

By the way, the box of gourds pictured here is the other box not shown earlier.  As you can clearly see this box also holds the biggest gourd.  I can't explain how there can be more than one "biggest" gourd but seeing is believing.  I guess you have to be a Gourd Daddy to accomplish this feat.

Finally, all the gourd vines will be cut down and taken to the dump.  It isn't healthy for them to remain once they have produced their fruit (well, it's my fruit now).  Thus before the weekend is past all vines will have been cut down and the gourd trellis will be naked until next summer.

We will be planting gourds again only bigger and more diverse.

Whoohoo!! And stay tuned :-)