Gourd Seeds - Small Mixed - Ornamental

These small mixed gourd seeds include a variety of colors and shapes, such as small apple, spoon, nest egg, white crown of thorns, yellow warted, small orange, and flat striped.

• 1 oz - Approximately 490 Seeds
• 4 oz - Approximately 1,960 Seeds
• 1 lb - Approximately 7,840 Seeds

Gourds are ideal for autumn decor and adding a touch of beauty. Small gourds are ideal for filling spaces and making stunning centerpieces. Use a low, wide bowl and combine gourds with fall accents like pine cones and mini pumpkins. Your centerpiece will exude a festive, natural aesthetic, and can easily decompose in your compost bin once fall is over.

Sowing: In shorter growing seasons, start gourd seeds indoors in peat pots 3-4 weeks before the last frost. To speed germination, soak the seeds overnight. Plant the seedlings outdoors in rich soil and full sun after the last spring frost. For direct sowing, wait until the soil warms to 70 degrees F, then plant 5 seeds per hill, 1" deep, with 5' spacing; later, thin to the strongest plant.

Growing: Keep the soil evenly moist. When the vines begin to develop, either provide a trellis or lay down mulch to keep the gourds from contact with the soil; too much soil contact can weaken the shell, distort the shape, and cause rotting.

Harvesting: Late in the summer, the skin of the gourd should feel extremely hard, too hard to pierce with a fingernail. Leaving the gourds on the vine until the stem and leaves of the gourd begin to wither and turn brown is also a good indication of ripeness. Cut off the gourd, leaving about 2" of stem. Wash it with a solution of soapy water, then let it cure in a dry place for several weeks in order to preserve it for decorative use. Underripe gourds work well for carving, but will start to rot several weeks after picking.