Hello,

This is my first time growing hard-shell birdhouse gourds. I planted
the seeds in late June. It sounds like a late start but anything
earlier this year would've dealt with 9 inches of rain and daily
temperatures in the 50sF for highs (our first 90 degree day was 9
weeks later than avg). If I had put them out any earlier the seeds
would've almost certainly rotted. Luckily July was much more average,
and the plants are doing very well on a fence. I really enjoy the
night-blooms, I've never seen a flower which blooms at night.

One gourd right now is extremely large (9-inch dia), and is supported
off the ground by a piece of styrofoam. Three others are growing but
they are all still green. I was wondering how big these gourds are
suppose to get before they finally start drying up? I'm afraid I'm
gonna run out of growing season. Is there any way to use un-ripe
gourds for smaller birds?

I was wondering how everyone else has dealt with hardshell gourds in
the past, curing them, etc., and what might help them survive. So far
I've been trying very hard to keep the bottoms dry (one large gourd
has already rotted from a wet base...I cut him off and threw him out
so other gourds would grow faster). When are they ready to pick?

I tried contacting the purple martin association but they recommended
I buy the book. They said there's many ways to go about curing the
gourd. It's hard to believe that the gourd won't rot while curing,
simply drying up over the winter and being ready to hollow out in 5-6
months. I've dealt with pumpkins and squash and when they go bad in
5-6 months it's not a pretty sight. Any other hints or advice would
be appreciated, thanks

Dan
nw NJ - 80 in. of snow, 25 in. rain in past 12 months...and in the
dead center of Isabelle predictions