Much needs to be thought out when growing bird house gourds. However, growing bottle gourds or other bird house gourds aren’t very difficult if that is what you are considering doing. The reason being is because you can easily grow these on fences and trellises. Once you harvest and dry them, then you can build the ideal bird house for a variety of species, including purple martins and swallows.

Grow In The Hills

You can grow bird house gourds in a number of places. However, to avoid the gourds flattening out and possibly rotting, hills are a great location because the gourds will not be left lying on the ground. If you choose a hill as the location for growing bird house gourds, think about using several inches of hay to use as mulch so the gourds are assured not to touch the ground.

The limited amount of frost on hills also makes it a great area for growing bird house gourds, since they are able to manage a small amounts. After they have been harvested, the gourds will need to be placed in a location that is dry and cool so they can properly dry out. Hearing sounds of the seeds within the gourd are a sign that they are completely dry. The process of the gourds drying could take a few months to complete, so some patience will be required.

Before starting the process of decorating, the outermost shell of the gourds will need to be removed after growing, harvesting, and drying them out completely. Using wax, or perhaps varnish, will provide the gourd with the protection necessary in order to decorate them well.

Gourds that are decorated well make building a beautiful bird house much easier. You can complete the remaining part of the job without much hassle if you have fundamental building skills to do so. This will require you to use some creativity when designing the bird house. Once you have finished, the bird house gourd can be hung in your garden or from a tree. By varnishing the gourd, you will enable it to last for a much longer time.

Drying bird house gourds is an area to really focus in on. Drying it will require you to exercise some patience since no shortcuts are available during this process. You will be far more likely to get the results you want when you give the right amount of time for them to dry.