Gourd Seeds

Gourd Seeds for Planting: Birdhouse, Luffa, Ornamental, and Edible Varieties

Gourds are among the most versatile plants you can grow. Some are grown for crafts and decoration, some are eaten like summer squash, and one, the luffa, can even be turned into a natural sponge. Our collection of gourd seeds includes birdhouse gourds, luffa, cucuzzi, and a handful of small ornamental types in unusual shapes and colors. They're fast-growing, vigorous vines that cover a fence or arbor in a single summer, and a few plants can supply a season's worth of fall decorations or kitchen projects.

Gourds Seeds for Sale: Birdhouse, Luffa, Cucuzzi, and Ornamental Mixes

When you browse gourds seeds for sale, it helps to sort them by purpose. Birdhouse gourds, including Bradshaw's Birdhouse Gourd, grow large, hard-shelled fruits that dry into sturdy birdhouses, bowls, dippers, and decorations. Birdhouse gourds and cucuzzi are both types of bottle gourd, which is why plants bottle gourd seeds often turn up in searches for either one. Cucuzzi, also known as Zuchetta or Guinea Bean, produces long, pale green fruits that are picked young and cooked like zucchini. Luffa Culinary Gourd is good to eat when the fruits are small and tender, and left to mature on the vine, it becomes a fibrous natural sponge.

For autumn color, Cornucopia Gourd Mix gives you a varied assortment of small, colorful ornamental gourds, while Bi-Color Pear and Crown of Thorns Shenot have distinctive shapes that look great in centerpieces and seasonal displays. Many of the varieties are heirloom and open-pollinated, so you can save seed from your best fruits.

Planting Gourd Seeds: Warm Soil and a Long Season

Gourds are warm-season, frost-tender plants, so planting gourd seeds should wait until after your last frost, when the soil is warm. Sow seeds about an inch deep in small hills, two or three seeds per hill, with several feet between hills so the vines have room to spread. Most gourds take a long time to mature, some more than 100 days and luffa even longer, so if you live in a short-season climate, start seeds indoors in individual pots three to four weeks before your last frost and set them out once nights stay warm. Give plants full sun and consistent water while they grow. The Seedtime planting calendar works out both your indoor start date and your transplant date from your frost dates, and the layout planner helps you leave enough room for sprawling vines.

Buy Gourd Seeds Online with One Flat Shipping Rate

When you buy gourd seeds online here, you can combine packets from different suppliers in one order and pay one flat shipping rate rather than a separate shipping charge for each supplier. Seedtime members also get discounts on seed packets, so if you're planning a full summer garden, compare Seedtime's plans to see what membership includes.