Home > Lankville Action News: YES! > How to Make a Birdhouse Out of a Gourd

How to Make a Birdhouse Out of a Gourd

November 10, 2014 Leave a comment Go to comments
By David Hadbawnik

By David Hadbawnik

David Hadbawnik is Lankville’s premier authority on how to make a birdhouse out of a gourd.

TIME: 2-3 DAYS | COST: $0-50 (LANKVILLE) | DIFFICULTY: EASY TO MODERATE

Begin by selecting your gourd. A bottle gourd is your natural choice– it provides a wide, welcoming bosom that will be inviting and intriguing to birds.

Next, you will need to clean the interior. Use a drill to make a 2″ hole on one side. With a special gourd spoon (available by mail), scrape out the dried seeds and pulp from the inside. Be sure to save it though! It’ll make a tasty snack for later on!

Drop your gourd lovingly into a solution made from one part bleach, eight parts water and one part love…

Now you’ll want to sanitize your gourd– this is very important. Use sandpaper to smooth the exterior of the gourd and the inside edges of the entrance hole. Pay extra attention to the hole. Now, drop your gourd lovingly into a solution made from one part bleach, eight parts water and one part love 🙂 Just kidding!  Nine parts water!

Completely rinse the gourd and then hang it on a clothesline to dry thoroughly. Don’t worry if a neighbor catches you hanging a gourd on a clothesline– there is nothing at all “mental” about this, as some former neighbors of mine have suggested.

Once the gourd is dry, you’ll want to use some exterior latex paint to decorate the outside of the gourd. Feel free to be creative! Me and some of my friends recently had a gourd birdhouse painting party on my patio and we came up with all kinds of wild designs! And don’t worry– if you’re “experimenting” and your design just doesn’t work out, you can always go back with some more exterior latex paint and you’ve got a brand new blank canvas. No worries!

When you’ve finished your design and added a couple of water drainage holes on the bottom, you’re ready to hang. Consider a sturdy branch– smaller, thinner branches have a tendency to “break”, which could lead to a disaster and a waste of a lot of hard work.

And last but not least– ENJOY!

DHad

  1. November 10, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    I don’t know but what if the gord has black spots on it. I have this one with spots around the bottom part and, do you keep the stem on? We are making soup!

  2. David Hadbawnik
    November 10, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    Stems are optional, Dany! Good luck this season, and enjoy your soup.

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