Crop of the Week: Ornamental gourds

• Yuma is not known as a large gourd area, with total acreage in the county at less than 10 acres. Those who do grow gourds produce them for regional specialty markets.

• Gourds are related to melons, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers, all members of the Cucurbitaceae or cucumber family. The smallest can be the size of a marble and the largest a 200-pound armful.

• Gourds were the earliest plant species domesticated by humans and were originally used by man as containers or vessels before clay or stone pottery, thus sometimes referred to as "nature's pottery." The original and evolutional shape of clay pottery is thought to have been modeled on the shape of certain gourd varieties.

• Gourds are used by people throughout the world for musical instruments such as shakers, maracas, drums, horns, marimbas and various string gourds resembling a banjo. Other uses include pipes, masks, canteens, water jugs, dippers, birdhouses, bath sponges and decorative gourds with intricate etched designs. So important were gourds to Haitian people in the early 1800s that gourds were made the national currency.

• Typically three types of gourds are grown in the United States: the cucurbita, or ornamental gourds; the lagenaria, which encompass the large, utilitarian gourds; and the luffa, or vegetable sponge that is used to make bathing sponges.

• Only a few varieties are actually harvested for consumption, mostly in Asia.

• Curing gourds is a two-step process that may take one to six months, depending on the type and size of the gourd. Surface drying is the first step in the curing process and takes approximately one week.

Internal drying is the second step in curing and takes a minimum of four weeks. Keep the gourds in shallow containers in a dark, warm, well-ventilated area. Periodically, turn the fruit to promote even curing.

Adequate curing is achieved when the gourd becomes light in weight and the seeds can be heard rattling inside. Cured gourds are typically painted, waxed or decorated.

Source: Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.