Luffa Sponge Gourd

Admire its beauty…enjoy its flavor…use its inner sponge. Prolific, vigorous vining annuals produce yellow blooms that attract pollinators and set fruit that, when young, can be sautéed, pickled, or even eaten raw. By late summer, gourds turn a deep green and start to wrinkle, signaling it’s time to harvest and peel them for their dense, tan inner sponge. After seeds are removed and the gourd is cured, luffa sponges can be used for everything from scrubbing your back to washing dishes and even cleaning the barbeque grill. Gourds grow 12-18" in length, 4-7" in diameter. 100-plus days.

• Conventional
• 12-18" fruits
• Vining Annual
• +/-290 seeds/oz

Instructions

Sow seeds outdoors after the danger of frost has passed in 12" diameter hills. Space hills 4-6' apart in all directions. In short season areas, grow from transplants started indoors 8 weeks in advance. Gourds grow well on fences or garden trellises.

• Direct Seed: 1" Deep
• Seeds to Hill: 6-8 Seeds
• Thin: To 3-4 Plants
• Light: Full Sun