Organic Gourd, Bottle (1/4 lb) [$24.99]Gourd - Bottle - Lagenaria siceraria
I think it would be really neat to grow gourds in the garden. We could harvest them and use them for projects in Environmental Science or Engineering. Make musical instruments out of them, paint them, use them as bowls, you name it. Gourds are pretty versatile and fun to work with.
Purpose:
Type: Vegetable
Companion plants: Radishes, catnip
Pollinators: Bees and beetles
Tender Annual This gourd variety produces large, bottle-shaped, attractive green and tan gourds 12"-14" high and 5" wide. They're great for crafts, rattles, bowls, and birdhouses. This is a long-season species.
Soil & Water: Gourds prefer rich, fertile soil with plenty of added organic matter. Water moderately early in development and heavier after fruit forms.
Planting & Growing: Start seed indoors 3 weeks before the last frost. Sow directly outdoors only in warm climates after the last frost. The vines are best grown up a strong support such as a fence or sturdy trellis. Use row covers over young plants to protect them from pests and to provide additional warmth.
Harvesting & Storage: Harvest when gourd turns pale, gently cutting the stem. Carefully rinse in a 9:1 bleach solution and hang in a warm, dry location until the seeds rattle, usually 3-4 weeks.
This gourd was cultivated before 10,000 b.c. to use as drinking vessels!
Soil Temperature: 75-90F
Planting Depth: 1"
Germination: 4-12 Days
Height At Maturity: Vining
Days To Maturity: 120 Days
Sun/Shade: Full Sun
Spacing After Thinning: 2'
Approx Seeds per 1/4 lbs: 493
Organic Watermelon, All Sweet [$2.49]Watermelon - All Sweet - Citrullus lanatus
I love watermelon, and I’ve always wanted to grow it in a garden. I had started a garden about a year ago, and the seeds grew to the point where they were just about to start giving off little watermelons, but then the heat just wiped them out up here in Alpine. Starting to grow them down in Point Loma might prove to come to a different outcome.
Purpose: I haven’t noticed any watermelon or melons planted in the garden so far, and as far as I know, it’s always nice to have a good watermelon on a hot day, so watermelon could be a nice addition.
Type: Vegetable
Companion plants: Corn/Pumpkin
Pollinator: Bumble bees
Tender Annual All Sweet has a yellow-green rind, with dark-green broken stripes. It's flesh is reddish in color with few, small seeds. It grows 17"-19" long and up to 7" in diameter and averages 25-28 lb. This melon stands long in the field without becoming overripe.
Soil & Water: Watermelon prefers light, loamy, fertile, deep, well-draining soil with a pH of 5.5-6.5. Add plenty of organic matter. Water plants amply until setting out, then water more sparingly. Mulch to prevent weed competition.
Planting & Growing: Start seeds indoors 2-3 weeks before the last frost or sow seeds directly after frost. Set out 3-4 transplants per hill, selecting the strongest two when vines are 1'-2' long. Watermelons are large vining plants that can take over an extensive garden space. They can be trellised, but use slings to support the developing fruit.
Harvesting & Storage: Harvest melons when the tendril closest to the stem turns dry and brown and the stem becomes brittle. Eat fresh, freeze flesh in a honey-based syrup, or pickle the rind.
Watermelon is low in calories and is very nutritious. It is high in lycopene, second only to tomatoes!
Soil Temperature: 75-95F
Planting Depth: 1/2"
Germination: 3-9 Days
Height At Maturity: 18"-24"
Days To Maturity: 80-97
Days Sun/Shade: Full Sun
Spacing After Thinning: 4'-6'
Approx Seeds per Pack: 25 Seeds
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