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Gourds in Spring: Breaking the Stigma

April 27, 2015 Leave a comment
Dr. David Hadbawnik

Dr. David Hadbawnik

David Hadbawnik is Lankville’s premier authority on pumpkins and gourds.

Recently, I set up some choice gourds from my collection at a nearby spring flower fair.

The response was, needless to say, decidedly negative.

“That is not a spring flower,” one woman balked. “Autumn called- they want their gourds back,” another scoffed. “Fuck you and your god damn gourds, you stupid pile of shit,” said still another.

I was hurt and discouraged. All the work I had done to promote year-round gourd awareness seemed lost on these women. After all, my spring and summer gardens feature as many as ten different beautiful gourds– everything from the spinning top to the speckled swan– and all as elegant and splendid as anything to be found in autumn!

The majestic beauty of a dangling gourd.

The majestic beauty of a dangling gourd.

“You can’t eat any of these summer gourds,” one woman proffered. “What the hell good are they?” While it’s not entirely true that no summer gourds are edible (the Eastern Hill Snake Gourd is delightful with tofu!), I felt that the woman was missing the point. The factor here is not food– the factor is FUN!

So, start your seeds indoors now to dodge the nighttime chill of April and transport your seedlings into the garden in early June. I prefer to utilize an A-frame trellis to allow my gourds space to climb (and also because I really like the look of gourds dangling down through a trellis) but you can also allow them to grow on the ground if that’s how you choose to live your life.

Dr. Hadbawnik’s pamphlet “Why I’m Right About Summer Gourds” is available for $5.95 plus shipping from The Lankville Daily News.

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