Am still trying to figure out how to get the formatting the way it needs to be without using the Classic editor. It may take some time. Please forgive the aesthetics until then. I have pulled together pics of my journey with the birdhouse gourd seeds that Jules sent me last year and up to the present, so you don’t have to keep clicking on links to see the pictures. Will try to put them in sections to make it clear.

The following pics are from July 2025 where you can see the biggest they got before the season wound down.

The next batch of pics is from Nov 2025. I harvested them from the vines when the vines turned completely brown, which is what multiple videos I watched said to do.

The next pics are from April 2026. They look very gnarly. Next time I think I will dip them in bleach water and see what happens. One didn’t dry right and there were no seeds inside of it. Another doesn’t survive the scrubbing process, leaving a total of 4 gourds.

It was quite a chore to get these things cleaned up right. First I used brillo pad to get the big pieces of flaking skin off. Then I soaked them for about a half hour (weighed down, as they are buoyant) and then used steel wool to get them nice and smooth. They do have a natural design on them that I like, and that is the way I hung the first one. Younger son brought his dremel over after the special attachment arrived to saw a hole in them. He was careful and used the variable speed to cut the holes, which looked easy for him to do. Then he drilled 3 holes in the top and 3 in the bottom. I gave one to granddaughter to hang in their yard, and I hung one here. The other 2 weren’t ready to be drilled when they were here, but I’ve scrubbed them and they are ready now.

I’ve got new plants growing and a few blossoms on them so far, but I just don’t see them having fruit as big as this by July? We’ll see. If you have any questions about the process, please put them in the comments. One other thing: the dust coming from the gourds while being drilled is toxic, so wear a mask if you do it.