Loufas or luffas as they are usually called over here (USA) are like
most gourds, they like heat, but they will grow anywhere they get a
reasonable amount of sun, put some plastic down to heat the ground in
the spring to get the soil warm, start them inside, and transplant
them into the then warmed ground. ;-)

I'm in South western Idaho USA where it's dry rather that hot and
steamy. It was unusually hot last summer (100+F for weeks last year),
but otherwise it gets up into the high 90s F in June and July and up
into the 100s F for a time after that as high temps some summers it
doesn't even break 100s F. I grew Luffas up the clothesline posts and
let them grow on the then unused clotheslines. I was rather amused
when I heard some folks eat them when they're young as I went out and
looked at them one day to see how they were growing, and sniffed one
and to me the smell reminded me of ...... Toads! I used to catch them
when I was young and I guess the smell memory was strong ;-)

They're interesting to grow, and when dried you just peel the skin off
the fibrous interior and shake the seeds out of it. I think they must
wash or bleach the fibers to make them so bright and white for store
sales though. ;-)

Janice

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 23:44:30 -0000, "Mel" wrote:

Thomson & Morgan sell the seeds, and they say to grow them like a cucumber
(I've never grown cucumber either). If loufas only grow in hot, steamy
places why the heck do Thomson & Morgan sell the seeds here in the UK (other
than just to get money from unsuspecting nitwits like me)!

Regards


"Mel" wrote in message
...
Has anyone grown a loufa gourd? Does it really produce a loufa? Any
advice?

Thanks,