Decorative Gourd Seeds

• Gourds are available in an unlimited array of shapes and sizes. Bernard Jaubert/Pixland/Getty Images

  Closely related to squash and pumpkins, gourds are grown as a decorative plant, used in autumn floral arrangements, decorations and displays. In Africa, they are still used as bowls, vessels, containers, drums, rattles and string instruments.

  Pear gourds are popular decorative gourds, often used to fashion drinking cups or birdhouses. Oblong or circular in shape, warted gourds are covered with bumps and ridges of varying size and shape. Colorful tricolor orbs are often used in floral arrangements and harvest festival decorating. Gourds are harvested at differing degrees of maturity to attain the size of fruit desired.

Cucurbita Gourds

• Harvested in autumn, gourds are used for Thanksgiving decorations. gourd and corn image by BVDC from Fotolia.com

  Cucurbita gourds (Yellow Flowered) include spoon, pear, apple, striped, Turk's turbin, Aladdin, orange, egg, apple, bell, Malahar Melon and warted gourds. The hard-rind gourd is split open and the flesh and seeds removed. The dried shell is carved and sanded into the desired shape. The seeds are rinsed off to remove any fruit flesh and dried for storage until replanting.

Lagenaria Gourds

• Pear gourds range in color from pale lemon yellow to deepest orange. ornamental pear-shaped gourd isolated on white image by Tamara Kulikova from Fotolia.com

  Lagenaria gourds (White Flowered) include the popular bottle gourd, Longissma, Maranka Dolphin, Carsican flat, Hercules Bulb, the edible Italian Cucuzzi and the dipper gourd. Tender annuals, gourds do best when the temperature remains between 70 to 85 degrees F. Protect from cold and frost. Though lagenaria gourds can tolerate a light frost, according to North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.

Miscelleneous Gourds

• Small wart gourds are used as baby rattles. autumn vegetables - gourds image by Anton Gvozdikov from Fotolia.com

  There are literally dozens of different varieties of gourds. The luffa or dishrag gourd is dried and the inner flesh used as a luffa or scouring pad. The serpent gourd, a long and twisted form, is used for decorating, and the Momordica and Teasel gourds are grown for their unusual shape and novelty.

Planting

• Prior to planting, soak gourd seeds in room-temperature water for 24 hours. If the seed shell is especially tough, trim off the narrow end of each seed with a nail clipper.

  Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep in mounded hills of soil spaced 18 to 22 inches apart. Gourds require an abundance of sunshine, fertile, well-drained soil and lots of water. Gourd vines grow vigorously and require plenty of room to spread out. Gourds produce heavy vines and fruit that require support. Plant along a fence or provide stout trellises to support the plant.

  Harvest gourds when then they are dry and start to turn brown. They will be light-weight and rattle when handled.