Sounds like cucumbers. Yes, and it’s quite a family--they’re a wild bunch, those cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, melons, zucchini, and gourds. Can run rampant. Take over everything else in the garden. But it’s a fun group. You can eat ‘em or decorate ‘em! And Zack grew many of them in Zack’s Zany Zucchiniland. Here I’ll talk just about gourds ‘cause I think they’re special.

GROWING: Here’s what gourds need: lots of sun, space, rich soil amended with compost, and regular water. They’re vines. They’ll crawl on the ground, or you can train them up fences and

trellises. Space is the key word. Choose your planting area, clear it of weeds, dig in lots of compost. You can buy gourd seeds at garden centers or specialty nurseries. Buy hardshell “birdhouse” gourd seeds or an “heirloom gourd mix.” Plant the seeds about a foot apart in your prepared bed, according to directions. Tamp down and water well. Watch the plants grow! They’ll take all summer, and once they’re hit by a hard frost, they’re done.

CURING: When they’re ripened, you need to harvest, dry, and harden them, called “curing.” I like to bring them into the garage or barn in boxes, in a single layer, and store them in a dry, dark place. This can take 4-6 months. You’ll hear the seeds rattle around in them when you give them a shake and they become lighter in weight. Some get real ugly because mold forms on the shell. I wipe them off with a diluted solution of water and bleach, leaving the mottled appearance. Some people like to scrub them hard for a perfectly clean palette.

DECORATING: Gourds are so versatile that it’s easy for anyone to have success decorating a gourd and creating a finished product that is truly beautiful. You probably already have many art materials: permanent markers, cream shoe polish, fabric paint in a squeeze bottle, acrylic spray paints (and clear to finish), wood stains, a wood-burning kit, beads, bones, raffia, twine, leather shoelaces, feathers, decoupage materials, a scrolling saw, and drill with a “hole” bit (for birdhouses). Consider the gourd your palette, and decorate it any way you wish. It depends upon how you want to use it, where you will put it, to whom you might give it, or if you want it to be themed (Indian, contemporary, multi-color, plain with clear finish, etc.). Look at the GOURD GALLERY below to get ideas. Then, go for it--decorate a gorgeous gourd!