How to Dry Gourds for Crafting
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- čas přidán 26. 03. 2013
- In this video I explain the methods I use to dry the gourds that my family and I grow on our farm. You will be able to see our large field of gourds, gourds hanging from the trees, freshly picked gourds, the first signs of a gourd drying out, what a gourd looks like as it is drying out, and what it looks/feels/sounds like when a gourd is ready to craft with. Gourds can be dried both inside some shelter and outside under the sky and exposed to the elements. I show you what a gourd looks like in both cases and the precautions you need to take if drying inside. by Bernadette Fox from bernadettesgourdcreations.blog...
Check out my gourd crafting CZcams channel for videos about growing, drying, cleaning, and crafting with gourds: / bernadettegourder . Also, see my website for an in depth article all about gourds: bernadettesgourdcreations.blog...
Make sure to subscribe to my other channels about gardening and crafting
/ bernadettesgarden
Stay connected through my social networks:
Facebook: bernadettesgourdcreations
Twitter: bfgourdnews
Pinterest: bfcreations
If you want an unique gift for someone special in your life check out my gourd art over at my Etsy shop. I have ready made pieces, but I sincerely enjoy making custom made gourds and would be happy to make one for you. Visit my Etsy shop: bfgourdcreations.etsy.com.
Music Credits:
"Midday Dance" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Seed Companies that sell gourd seed:
quarryfarmgourds.com/seeds/
www.seedman.com/Gourds.htm
www.burpee.com/vegetables/gourds/
www.harrisseeds.com/storefront...
Online places that sell ready-dried gourds:
www.welburngourdfarm.com/
www.northerndipper.com/gourds.php
www.etsy.com/search?q=dried+go...
marthasgourds.com/gourds/
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=d...
www.wuertzfarm.com/
Bushel Gourds:
www.pumpkinhollowgourds.com/
www.foothillsfarm.com/egourds/...
Disclaimer:
All content (ie. video, audio, photos) was done by me, Bernadette Fox with the exception of the music which was licensed to me via Creative Commons. - Jak na to + styl
We grew gourds for the first time this season and have a bunch still hanging from the trellis we built. Thanks for sharing your experience, this helped us alot with how to dry gourds.
One last thing. Snow and freezing is okay for fully matured gourds and will not turn them to mush as long as they don't sit in a puddle. That's why I suggest hanging them up (eg. mesh bag) or putting them on a pallet. Now, if you are thinking of keeping the seed for planting next year than it is good to note that freezing may greatly reduce the viability of the seed. Tip: Sacrifice one gourd now, cut it open, spread the seeds out on a rack, let them completely dry then put in baggie in fridge.
Great video for myself. I threw some seeds out this past spring and had a pretty good first crop. Watching your video has helped alot. I now know what to do. Thank you for your time in making and posting this much needed video.
Thank you Bernadette. I live in south Alabama and in mid July I am already harvesting my gourds. My first time, but as a wood carver I want a new venture. Thank you for sharing your videos. Be blessed.
I found this video to be extremely helpful. Drying and crafting birdhouse gourds for the first time. Just subscribed. Thanks, Bernadette!
I grew only one gourd. It was a kool feeling too discover I had 1 gourd on my vine. I'm kind of a newbie at this garden stuff but it's been so much fun. Thanks for your video it should help me gettr done.
Bernadette, what an informative video on drying gourds. You did an excellent job...I learned lots.
Thank you, you're very welcome!
Thanks Bernadette. That was great. I have one large one which has taken a year to start browning off. I had moved it from a cupboard to a shelf in laundry, but after video will move into garage. I am looking forward to the final result. Thanks.
Thank you for a very thorough and informative video! This is my third try to find such a video; the last two mentioned drying them and said almost nothing about how to do it... just went on to tell you how cool it was to have dried gourds. I also see now that we once accidentally dried one (a “miniature pumpkin” that I guess isn’t a pumpkin at all) partway and threw it out because it had sat so long that we got worried.
Thanks for sharing! I grew a couple of vines of gourds this year! Wasn't sure of the process for drying, this video was very helpful! Thanks again! Peace to all!!
*Edit- I love that gourd at 4:39! Lots of unique character on that one!!!
Thanks for a really informative video on harvesting gourds.
Thnx, for sharing! It is an amazing video! Very well recorded and easy to understand!
Great video. I just bought a gourd and I'm letting it dry out. I'm looking forward to seeing the other videos after it dries.
Scott Wrona Ggggg
For small batches and in a hurry, dry them in the oven at 180-220 degrees for about 12 hours.....works like a charm...
Does that also work for pumpkins? after all they are a type of gourd.
J1VEST OF TURKEYS pumpkin will rot..
What about salting it like jerky?
J1VEST OF TURKEYS then you have jerky
Hello, Thanks for sharing your experience on the drying process. I grew a few for bird houses last year. The birds used them, so this year I grew a bunch (nearly 100) and this information has convinced me to put them on a pallet outside and let the weather help clean them up. Now that I have so many more than I need for birdhouses I am going to do some useful stuff with them.
+Lj P Wow! Almost 100 gourds how cool is that! Yea, maybe a few too many to make all into birdhouses. Need to show me what you come up with! That would be fun to see. Good luck and have fun with it :)
sounds good to me
In all my years I have only come across a few gourds that had bad smells inside. I believe that was due to how they dried - probably in a moist/wet environment (accidentally sat in a puddle outside or what have you). So using the method in the video (let it dry in a dry environment for months) is your best bet for a practically smell free crafting experience. Happy crafting!
This was very helpful. Thankyou! I was worrying about the mold developing on my gourds.
I love the way you grow them 💕
Watched two of yours on gords and enjoyed very much.
Thank you for the video, gourds are so rare in Wellington New Zealand now that people don't even know how to pronounce it. I first got interested in bottle gourds when I was in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China.
Me encanta este trabajo es hermoso
What a lovely channel. Thank you for this very nice video.
Such a great an informative video. Thank you
really helpful, thank you for this! 😊
This was so informative!! Thank you so much! Subscribed!
On the farm we don't harvest ALL the gourds because some are just not any good when it comes time to harvest. Those gourds just get plowed under or composted. So, yes gourds can be thrown into the compost pile, just make sure to break them up (stomp on them or hammer them) into little pieces and bury them in your pile. Note: Remember gourds mold a lot when they are drying so your gourds may not need to be thrown away.
I tried growing those bottle shaped ones but they just became long cucumber ones :s did they sell me the wrong seeds?
I liked your video. It was very informative. THANKS!!!
Oh wow. Those links to the gourd seeds are awesome.
Great video, thanks for sharing
Hey, that's great to hear. I'd love to see photos of the vines in the pots! As for the size. Bottle gourds (the ones that people make Santas out of? Small bulb on top and larger bulb on the bottom?) don't get very big. I have only a few that have gotten large, around a foot diameter, but no huge ones. If your looking for more of the cannon ball/bushel type you need to get that particular seed. (See video description for link.) Still, bottle gourds are a lot of fun, big or small! :)
AH I LEARNED SO MUCH, THANK YOU
Very helpful video thank you
Very informative thank you.😸🐾🐾🐾🐾💕
Had no idea it was such a long process, thanks,
Very helpful video!
Thanks for the video.
Good information. I had put my gourds in the garage in a South facing warm window to dry. I guess I need to find a place outside to set them up.We don't need any more mold in Arkansas than we already have.
This was really useful thank you
So coool!! Useful to know, im trying to germinate some seeds♥
VERY helpful!
Informative. Thanks
Thank you. I grew gourds for the first time this year and there are 17 on one vine…!
Great video!! Which drying method do you prefer? Outside or inside drying. Can I tie rope to its stem to dry without the stem breaking off? Hang to dry outside on a roofed open porch. Lots of airflow and protection. Thank you!!
I like using them as water canteens and birdhouses and pots for plants
Wow, that's a lot of work right there.
When can I cut them for seeds? It's already end of August and non had showed any signs of drying. Please advice thank you.
Thank you!
We have a 70-80 years old dry very long (around 2-3 ft) bottle gourd with a single nice circular cut on its neck, it was used and maintained by my grand father (who was a farmer) to store certain seeds. As a child I would wonder how he would have done that but since he was no more and my parents had no clue, so i just ignored that thing. today i happened to come across this video.
BIG THANKS to you for letting me know the secret !! :) Also any tips to preserve that wonderful piece, we have ignored it for long time and i doubt it might not survive if we dont take proper care of it. I dont wish to use any sort of paint coating as it looks really amazing in its natural form and honestly i have no clue how to preserve it.
+telegu filmz Now that sounds like one very special heirloom there! The best way to preserve older pieces like that that do not have any sealer on them is to use an oil to keep it from becoming too brittle. You can use tung oil, mineral oil, leather soap oil, or clear shoe polish. I have used each of these at some point. Although, shoe polish is probably the easiest to find and the easiest to apply. Just use a paper towel and rub it in on the exterior of the gourd. Hope this helps!
Your contect no plzz
This was a cool video :)
Can I use the space under my deck for drying gourds? I don't have a good space indoors.
Thank you.
Hi, Bernadette Fox, thnx for your video! Your video is the first one I've seen and it's a great informative video and, I've subscribed! You have done a great job in recording and educating on how the drying process of the gourds is done! I enjoyed the video! Thnx for this! A month ago or so, I've become to know that gourds are great for crafting. I did not know this then. I thought in my mind that it was a more complex process. Thnx for sharing! 'Keep-On-A-Rocking-N-A-Crafting!' ; -)
You're very welcome! I hope I inspired you enough so you can start working with gourds as well. They are so much fun!
Hi Bernadette, Another great video, I have just one question, I live the UK and get plenty of rain and cold weather, would they still be alright left outside in these conditions? Many thanks Jim..
+Jims Allotment Do you mean the plants or the drying/dried gourds? If you mean keeping the gourds outside to dry, they are fine in wet and cold weather. It's like nature's way of cleaning them. However, giving them plenty of air movement is key to successfully drying them inside or outside such as hanging them up on a fence or other structure or spreading them out on pallets.
At the end of your video when you are showing the cleaned gourds, what kind of gourd was the spiky/lumpy looking one and where can I get seeds for something like that or something similar
The one you spotted is a maranka gourd, sometimes called a dinosaur gourd among other names. I just purchased from seedman.com and was happy with their seeds and service. So I checked them out and they have what you're looking for and more. Here you go: www.seedman.com/Gourds.htm. Good luck!
The music drives me up the wall!!
IfixAirCraft2 why
Yeah, seems pretty neutral, not too loud.
A couple of seeds grew over twenty gourds, all I need for my hobby. What makes the difference between getting thick gourds and thin ones? Mine are way thinner than I want. Suggestions?
This is my first year growing gourds and I have a nice little group going. I had to grow them in pots. I think that limited the size. Can't wait to start crafting. I wish I knew where to get some of the larger and more round varieties. I'm growing bottle gourds which all turned out great so far but they aren't very big.
Gourd plants can get really huge if they have all the food and water they want. Pots will limit them a lot! I had a lattice dome about 20 feet wide and 12 feet high, and one gourd plant absolutely smothered it.
I found giant gourds, also known as bushel gourds on Amazon.
Wow! I just noticed how old this comment is! Are you still out there?
Is there any way to dry a gourd AFTER it's been decorated? I paintred a gourd for Halloween and it came out much bettrer than I expexcted, and I'd kinda like to keep it as a permanent seasonal decoration. If I hollow it out from thebottom or something, will that keep ir from rotting?
What do I do? HELP!
I have a small backyard and a dog that will probably get in the garden. Is it safe to let them dry on the ground in the garden or will the mold harm my dog?
I want to grow gourds now so badly!
This was extremely helpful. I would have thrown away every gourd with mold. Are gourds that had mold on the outside safe to use as a canteen if they are coated inside with brewer's pitch? Are they safe to use as a dipper where the outside will enter the water or other liquid?
Gourds that have fully matured on the vine can be dried both indoors and out. If you are thinking of indoors you need to make sure they are away from people/pets because they will mold profusely during the drying process. If you can leave them outside without animal problems (squirrel, chipmunk, and even deer) I would go for it. Hang them up if you can or spread them out on the ground or on a pallet. Let the weather clean them for you and they should be dry by March or April of next year.
Grodes
I bought a bunch of the smaller gourds last Halloween and just putting them in a bowl for decorations and the orange ones dried out on their own. The green one with yellow spot was a different story. It started getting soft on a couple spots. I took it and put it in a paper bag and stashed it in the cupboard for a couple weeks. When I pulled it out to check it was completely dry and the skin had mostly just faded in color with just a few black spots and a ring around the area where soft spots had been. I just took it outside and brushed most of the skin off with no problem. It is a beautiful tan color except the spots had been soft. those two quarter size spots are a sick brown color and sort of ruined it. Shaking it I get a nice sound from the seeds that would have made a nice instrument but those spots kind of ruin it. If not for the spots I would have covered it with some sort of urethane coat to make it shine. Now I'm not sure what I want to do. Coat it as it is, paint it, just leave it the way it is and move on...
I'll try finding bigger ones this fall and see what I can do. I have oil I use on wood cutting boards. Would that work well on these?
After they are dried out do you think they would make good planters? How would you seal the inside.
+tstuff I shall assume when you say smaller gourds you meant the ones that come in a bunch of different colors with warts sometimes? Sometimes the mold spots produce a very pleasing pattern on the gourd, but by the sounds of it it didn't in your case. When that happens, I normally try to incorporate the spots into my art. Perhaps turn them into flowers, or add more "spots" to the gourd with dyes. Woodburn the gourd with different patterns. It is kind of a license to get creative and see what you can do to cover or incorporate those spots. Once you do decorate your gourd, sealing it with several coats of gloss urethane like you wanted will give it a beautiful finish.
Using wood oils will help protect your gourd, but it will not produce a hard film. Hard films will help protect it from scratches and nicks, or paint scrapes if you plan to paint it...
And to use gourds as planters requires you to completely seal the gourd or to use the gourd only as a cover for a container that can hold water. There are products that can seal the gourd and make it impermeable to water. One of these is Apoxy paste, which has worked very well for me. There are others, but I have not personally tried them. Hope this helps!
Now I just need to find a source for bigger ones. I do not have a place to grow my own.
+tstuff If you're interested, check out the video description for some online places that sell large dried gourds.
tstuff I grow some serious gourds here in central Arkansas. love growing them but dont use them. where are you? I can send you some.
What's the name of the gourd seed you planted in order to get such a variety
I have a gourd that has a small puncture. Will this rot the gourd?
Also have you ever tried speed drying gourds in the oven?
Can I dry them outside in my garage if the temp is dropping to -30c here in Canada? I will be getting 2 feet of snow so I doubt I can leave them on the vine.
Absolutely. The cold shouldn't be a problem for a fully mature gourd. Gourds that did not fully mature on the vine will have a hard time in extreme temperatures and temperature fluctuations because they have so much water in them that needs to evaporate and with a thinner shell due to immaturity it will have a better chance at cracking and rotting.
Hi, I grew gourds and they did great but the animals are EATING them ALL! Even the ones hanging on a fence are being eaten by something that can stand up and reach them. I have a few beautiful large ones left but they wont last long, is it okay to pick them even if they are still heavy and green? They wont be there much longer if I don't.
I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Animals will go after immature ones like they would a pumpkin. Deer are the usual culprits. Squirrels and woodchucks also go after them once in awhile. You can take your chances next time by leaving them there and letting animals have at them and you'll be left with probably a few. You can also try covering your gourds with either weeds or clear plastic to deter animals... that's what I do BTW. Otherwise you can take your chances and pick them before they are completely mature and hope they dry out okay.
i live in the north country. in the past i have dried them in a closed room with a fan... turned them regularly... very time intensive..some dried, some rotted. i much prefer to dry them outside as suggested, but i thought that freezing would destroy them. it gets very cold here in the winter. please advise. i see snow in some of your video, which is encouraging, but snow doesn't necessarily mean very cold.
I live in ky and me and my husband won't to try growing them on are on be I love birds I'm plenty my Gourds in May how long after there done growing do wait until next May to harvest them
Leave them on the vine until they have completely matured and the vines are completely dead. You can harvest them after, but can also leave them in your garden until they dry out if you don't have animal/rodent problems. Otherwise, harvest them before the winter sets in and store/dry away from animals and people.
Hi Bernadette, I see that a few gourds got damaged when drying (as if someone stepped on them). Is that because of frost? Would frost damage the gourds left to try outside? I live in a region where winters can be harsh. What would you say the loss rate of drying gourds is? Thanks!
What I have found, no matter the harsh winter, it is the maturity of the gourd that matters. If the gourd did not mature as long as it could have on the vine then it most likely will have a thinner shell and won't be as strong to withstand winters. Also, we have tons of deer and they will step on gourds and break them which is what you see in the video!
How do you clean the gourds that were dried inside?
Would this method work if hung in an old shed or garage when they're matured?
Alexx Wetmore Yes, it would work well when hung someplace where animals can't get to them and away from people because they will produce mold during the drying process. Depending on how heavy the gourd is you can hang them from their stems with a string or put them in a mesh bag (old onion bag would work) and hang them that way.
🐣Thank you
When the gourds are dried this way, is there a strong smell inside? I am growing gourds in Japan and the method here starts with submersing the gourd in water to rot the insides - even when it dries completely afterward there is a terrible smell that I would like to avoid.
Does it also work with butternut pumpkin?
No, edible squash or pumpkins do not harden out with a thick enough shell.
I grow in a very wet environment. Can I let them dry in the greenhouse? The plants are already moldy in there. Or should I move them to a dryer place? I can't leave them outside, it rains all the time.
Yes, certainly let them mature and dry in there. That is what I do, although I make sure to pull out all vines and any weeds/vegetation before winter sets in.
Can we dry d gourds on d terrace?
I don't have any bushel gourds or basketball gourds for sale - although I wish I did. Those are the hardest to grow where I live as they need the longest growing season to actually mature before the frost date. Most years only a couple make it to maturity. Take a look at the links in the video description for places to purchase bushel gourds. Happy gourding!
Heya i came in the possession of a nice gourd and was wondering how birds react to them, all other small pests are kept at bay by cats. Thank you in advance for answering.
Warm greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱.
Birds love gourds. Make a hole that is the right size for a particular species. Loosen the seed inside and hang it up securely.
Yes
2:38 The mold looks like a lion’s face
What kind of seeds do you use to grow these
. I'd like to grow some
Birdhouse gourds seeds. Can find at any seed isle or online seed shop. I found mine at the dollar store. They grew beautifuly.
I picked tow Coyote gourds I cleaned them and put them under our mobile home in Nevada. we did this in Sept. it is now April 13 and we checked our gourds they still have there color and no mold, but sound hollow when thumped. No mold Why ?
Will it harm them if they freeze during their drying process? I have an unheated detached garage where I could hang mine for drying, but they will most certainly be subjected to below freezing temps.
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
That's the exact same question I have. Did you find an answer? So far all I read says no to freezing
@@sosad9381 I haven’t found an answer yet. I may have no choice than to just let them be exposed to the temps. I would rather not bring that mold into the house.
The video shows some gourds outside with snow on them, which would suggest they can have some cold
Hi, will deer eat the leaves of the gourd vines as they grow?
For me, deer have never touched gourds (vines, fruit) while they were growing. Yes, one of the very few things deer don't eat . :)
Those seem like they could be made into all kinds of things, like lights, little houses with windows etc, bird houses, bird feeders, bee hives... I just don't know how much weight they can support.
I have seeds from a gourd can I plant them and how do I go about doing it
Certainly. I can't guarantee they will germinate not knowing where they have been stored, but follow my video. czcams.com/video/eT7z18DGmgA/video.html
Can i let them in my green house not heated in canada really cold?
Yes, I prefer to just leave them outdoors and let the weather clean them up! But if you feel your greenhouse is safer from rodents, then go for the greenhouse. I have done both and the greenhouse method does produce more mold, but it is also a slower drying process which may help in producing a harder shell.
Can I do this with zucchini? I have one about 3ft long and it weighs 8lb..
Although zucchini does have a hard shell when fully mature it is very thin and fragile and cannot be carved or have much use for anything along those lines.
Ok, thank you for your reply..Great videos by the way..
i am in USDA climate zone 3, drying them for months outside will give me gourdsicles. any advice?
Gourdsicles won't hurt the gourds. If you plan to plant the seed next year, just know that freezing and thawing seed inside a wet gourd will kill the seed. Faster method of drying would be to bring them inside and spread them out or hang them up. Keep away from pets/people.
unfortunately i don't have a petproof place to dry them indoors. how long do they need to dry out and not be in the snow?
What climate are you in? What if we have a wet climate?
I would have liked to see the hollowing process.
Please see all the videos I have on my channel. I have covered everything from growing to drying to cleaning and then to crafting them.
does freezing weather hurt them it gets really cold here sometimes into the teens overnight
+Shylah Barnes If you are only concerned about drying out the gourd then no freezing doesn't harm them. Even if you want to leave your gourds outside in the winter weather that is totally fine as well. Animals would be your only probelm with that. If you could lay them on a pallet or up off the ground, that would be the best. Now, if you wanted to use the seeds to grow more gourds next year then freezing will harm the seeds if the gourd hasn't fully dried out yet. You will want to keep the gourd from freezing if you had that in mind. Hope this helps!
I was wondering how you deal with melon beetles?
Gourds have very few pests. Have you experienced the problem with melon beetles? I have experienced issues with cucumber beetles but they never do enough damage to be concerned. Cut worms have been my only problem that have completely devastated some plantings. Very little you can do about them unless you spray a pesticide.
Do you have any round basketball gourds available for sale?
bisonteortega I have seen seeds for sale but never the gourds
can I dry a very beautiful butternut squash?!?!
Butternut squash won't dry out with a thick/hard enough shell to craft with so no.
Unfortunately here the stinky ones are the norm. I suspect that people here in Japan still use the water method to extract the "guts" through a small hole drilled where the stem is. They have used them as sake bottles traditionally so cutting them open to scrape out the seeds was not possible. I will use your method for the 30+ gourds we have growing now. Thanks!
Would they dry faster if you cut it open and scrape out the flesh?
Some people do this but there is a much higher risk of failure if you do.
In answer to question from showman139
Hello, I am not at all familiar with seaworthiness. If are familiar with making things seaworthy then my advice to you is to treat the gourd as you would a soft wood, like that of bass, balsam or birch. I know that some model boats have been made using these kinds of woods so you might want to study up about that.
As a side note: You probably know that gourds have been used as drinking vessels in ages past, with the help of wax or other natural materials. I have waterproofed gourd interiors using apoxy paste, but am not sure how that would be on the exterior of a gourd. Research along these lines and experimentation is your best bet.
Good luck with your project!
Bernadette
thank you
hello! are the gourds ok to stay outside even if it snows?
Gourds are perfectly fine if left outside during the winter. The weather actually helps in keeping the mold down and gives them a preliminary cleaning! :) BUT here are a few things to keep in mind: If you want to save the seed for growing your own plants next year then you will need to keep the gourds (that are not fully dry yet) from freezing. If you have a lot of squirrels or chipmunks where you are, then you may want to protect your gourds from them. If you leave your gourds outside to dry throughout the winter, make sure to put them in a safe place so that no one accidentally crushes them if/when they get covered with snow. Hope that helps!
yes it does, thankyou!!