Types of Gourds: There are two types of gourds generally used for crafting: the cucurbita (or ornamental) gourd and the lagenaria (or hardshell) varieties. The ornamental gourds are generally small, colorful gourds and are frequently used in fall decorations. This type of gourd has yellow blooms which open during the day for pollination. The hardshell variety of gourd are usually larger and are varying shades of green. They have white blooms which open during the night.

Growing Gourds: For better germination, it is best to soak your gourd seeds in water overnight before planting. Gourds need a long growing season and should be planted as soon as there is no danger of frost (in Kentucky this is usually May 15th). If you want to give your gourds a head start, you may want to plant them in 3" peat pots and set them on a sunny windowsill about the third or fourth week of April. Your gourds should be planted in hills (it is not necessary to mound the dirt) with 3 seeds or plants per hill. The distance between hills will depend on the amount of space you have. If you have plenty room, you may want to allow 10 to 15 feet in either direction between hills. However, if you only have a small area to grow your gourds, you may be able to manage with as little as 5 feet between the hills. Because of the tremendous vine growth, you should be careful not to overcrowd your plants. Gourds require fertile soil and you may use organic material, or 10-10-10 fertilize. You should fertilize every 3 to 4 weeks during their first 2 months. You should then stop fertilizing them because this can hinder them from maturing properly.

Insects & Disease: Insects which cause the most problems for gourds are the Cucumber Beetle and the Squash Vine Borer (which attacks only the ornamental variety). The Cucumber Beetle and other less common insect pests can be controlled by Seven insecticide. However, Seven is ineffective on the Vine Borer and Malathon insecticide should be used. Ornamental gourds are prone to fungus diseases and a general purpose fungicide should be used.

Harvesting Gourds: Your gourds should be left on the vine until frost (in Kentucky, frost can be expected in mid October). When cutting your gourds from the vine, they will be more attractive if you leave a 3 to 4 inch stem. They will dry indoors or outdoors but they should be set up on something to get them off the damp ground to make it less likely that they will rot. Wooden pallets can be very useful to set your gourds on while they are drying during the winter. It can take several months for gourds to completely dry. It is normal for gourds to become mildewed while they are going through the drying process. A gourd should only be discarded if it becomes soft or shriveled. When they are dry they will be much lighter and you will probably be able to hear the seeds rattle when you shake them. If you plan to plant any of the seeds from the gourds you have grown, you should take them indoors to dry during the winter. If a gourd freezes before its seeds have dried it will be less likely that its seeds will germinate.

Cleaning Gourds: After they have dried, the outer surface of the gourd will need to be removed prior to painting or crafting. The easiest way to do this is to fill a tub or sink with warm bleach water and use a wire mesh scrubbing pad to remove the loose skin from the gourd. You may then want to use a fine sandpaper to smooth up the gourd's surface. Any bug holes or blemishes can be filled with wood filler and then touched up with a matching paint to conceal the blemish. Your gourds are now ready to craft.

MAKING GOURD BIRDHOUSES:

Gourds make an excellent home for cavity dwelling birds and are easy to make. However, a poorly constructed birdhouse can actually do more harm than good.

Types of Cavity Dwelling Birds: Many people believe that any type of bird will build in a birdhouse, but this is not true. Some birds will build only in a nest built in a tree, shrub, etc. Some of the more common cavity dwelling birds in Kentucky are: Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Wren, House Wren, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Black-Capped Chickadee, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmice, Purple Martins, Great Crested Flycatcher, Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Redheaded Woodpeckers, Wood Ducks, Screech Owls, and Barred Owls.

Making the Entrance Hole: You may use an x-acto knife, jig saw, keyhole saw etc., but it will be easiest to use a hole saw attachment for a power drill to cut the entry holes in your gourds. A hole saw attachment can be found at any hardware store or in the hardware section of a department store. A good general purpose gourd birdhouse which will suit most species (except Purple Martins & House Finches) can be made with a 1 1/2 inch entrance hole. However, if you want to attract certain species of birds you may want to use the chart below for guidelines concerning the size and placement of your entrance hole:

Drainage Holes: You should drill at least four small holes into the bottom of the birdhouse for drainage. Baby birds can easily drown when their home fills with rainwater and there are no holes for the water to drain.

Painting your Birdhouse: You should paint your birdhouse a light color to reflect heat. A dark color will absorb heat from the sun and the baby birds will likely die from the high temperature inside the house. Any good quality exterior paint will be adequate. Never paint the inside of a birdhouse because the odor from the paint may make the birds ill. Remember that the outer surface of the gourd should be removed to ensure that the paint will adhere to the surface of the gourd.

Hanging your Birdhouse: You may use a drill to make two holes through the gourd and insert a wire hanger, or you may simply thread a wire through the holes and stretch the wire between two posts or trees. Most birds will want no other birdhouses nearby, however Purple Martins live in colonies and you should place several in a single area. Each year your colony of Purple Martins will grow and colonies of 150 nesting pairs are not uncommon.

Predators & Unwanted Guests: If you place your birdhouse on a post you should place a tin baffle on the post to prevent predators from eating the nestlings. The tin should be attached to the post and let the bottom of the tin fan out from the post to prevent the animal from climbing up the post. The more common predators are house cats, raccoons, and snakes. English Sparrows may likely try to nest in your birdhouses. You should consult a field guide if you are are unsure of the appearance of an English Sparrow. These birds should not be allowed to nest successfully in your birdhouses. They are not native to this country and Sparrow traps, or other methods of control may be legally used. Male English Sparrows will frequently attack and kill nestlings of other birds. Another method of control is to closely monitor an English Sparrow nest and remove the eggs as they are laid. Over time you can substantially reduce the numbers of these birds in your area thus enabling other birds to nest successfully.

INFORMATION ABOUT MY ART:

Obviously, my favorite subjects are nature oriented. Especially birds, flowers, and insects. Much attention is given to detail, and I try to make the drawings as realistic as possible. I also enjoy Nature Photography and my photographs are frequently used for reference to draw the different species accurately. I frequently collect different leaves, flowers, and other objects from nature to learn details about them. I have enjoyed drawing all of my life and in addition to the time spent practicing alone, I took art classes throughout high school, and community college, and obtained a Bachelors Degree in Art from the University of Louisville in 1990.

I first make a freehand sketch directly on the gourds. Then I use a very fine point woodburning pen to complete the drawing. Some of the gourds shown at this site were made with a very inexpensive woodburning pen by Walnut Hollow, which can be purchased at Wal-mart for about $12. I also have a Craftsman Butane soldering iron, which works just as well as a woodburning pen and is very useful when you do not have an electrical outlet. The other pen that I use is a Detail Master IV Sabre. The points of all these pens have been honed to a very sharp point with a sharpening stone and honing oil. The nicest features of the two more expensive pens is the ability to adjust the temperature. Instead of paint, I prefer to use colored pencil to draw on my gourds. Berol Prismacolor pencils are what I use primarily with Berol Verithin Pencils being used for details. Once the initial layers of color are applied, another layer of a lighter color, usually white, but sometimes other light colors, are applied on top. This technique is called burnishing, and forces the color into the 'tooth' of the gourd (or paper). The Derwent watercolor pencils are used to add highlights as a final touch. Polyurethane is then used to seal the surface of the gourds and make the drawing resistant to being smudged. Spray varnish makes the colored pencil resemble paint but the colored pencil allows greater detail than could be achieved with a paintbrush.

My decorative gourds have been juried into the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program. I am also a member of the Sheltowee Artisans. The gourds which can be viewed in the gallery are of various sizes. Some are fairly large, while others are small enough to be used as Christmas ornaments.

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Art (including background) & text in this website Copyright © 1996 to 1998 Becky Hughes.
All Rights Reserved.

Clip Art is public domain. More can be found at the Mining Company.    

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