Five step

Go away the gourds to cure on the vine. When your gourds have reached their full dimension, the vine they’re rising on will start to die off on its own. At this point your gourds are prepared for harvesting, but you’ll make the job a lot easier on yourself if you go away them to treat on the vine. Give them quite a few weeks to a month for the remedial procedure to occur; as you check in on them, you’ll observe them getting lighter and lighter. Unless you notice animals and bug drinking the gourds, there’s no fear of decaying or going bad. If you have to cut the gourds early, wait till the vine at the top of the gourd has turned wholly brown and dry. Turn the gourds irregularly and move them around to keep them from tender. Remove the gourds. The curing time varies from gourd to gourd depending on its size (and therefore water content). Check the gourds on a weekly base to tell if they’re all set. Feel the skin and check the inflexibility of the gourds; if they are at all soft or soft, they are rotten and should be thrown out. When the skin feels hard and a little waxy to the touch, they are likely geared up to be cut. Shake the gourd as the concluding test to see if they are fully cured; if they are ready, they’ll sound like a rattle with the seeds bang around on the inside. Use a pair of clipper or cutters to cut the gourds from the vine. Treat the shell of the gourd. Even though it is not required, you can treat the shell of the gourd to change its exterior and to help it last longer. Wash the gourd with a bit of dish detergent and warm water to take life off any bacteria. You can then use a bit of sandpaper or steel wool to shine the outside of the gourd, and add a layer of wax or shellac to finish off the shine. You can decorate gourds by painting the outside as well. Consider saving the seeds. Your gourd wills most bright for many years with the seeds inside, but if you would like to save the seeds for the next year’s plant, you may do so. Cut the gourd open to remove the seeds from the inside. Follow the same progress of propagate the seeds (as aforementioned) to help speed up their development. You can keep the shell of the old gourd, and you’ll have the seeds to produce plenty of new gourds as well.