Lagenaria siceraria (Hardshell Gourds)

ALL PACKETS OF Lagenaria siceraria CONTAIN APPROXIMATELY 20 SEEDS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

Bushel

130 days-25 to 50 pounds-rich forest green, drying to tan. Massive round gourds, wider than tall, with slight depressions at stem and blossom ends. We have been selecting for size and thick shells in these for several years, having been disappointed with the results we were getting from commercial strains. Notes on drying your gourds: we recommend leaving these and all other hardshell gourds outdoors from harvest until the following May or June to allow them to dry out properly. But if the seeds freeze before they're completely dry, they will be killed, and repeated freezing and thawing even when completely dry will drastically reduce their rate of germination. So if you want to save seed out of your gourds, don't let them freeze! Unless you live in a very mild climate, this means that you must let them dry indoors, in a garage or barn that does not get below 32º Fahrenheit. You probably do not want to dry them inside your house, since the process is kind of messy. Ninety percent of the weight listed above is water, and it begins evaporating through the hard shell as winter approaches, making the gourd hollow and light as a feather by early summer. Don't worry if your gourd looks like hell during this time, as long as it remains hard underneath-it has to slough off the outer layers of skin, which peel back and become moldy. Once dried, artwork on the vast smooth surfaces of these gourds brings a pretty penny. Like all full-size Lagenarias, Bushel has a jungle of smooth, velvety far-spreading vines that will bury anything in their path and are virtually impervious to disease. If space is an issue, gardeners would do well to have a trellis or a fence (or a tree) so their hardshell gourds can expend their energies upwards rather than outwards. This works best with smaller-fruited types, however, as hanging vines cannot support 50-pound Bushels on their own. The ultimate origin of all Lagenarias is unknown, as they are found in tropical and warm areas throughout the globe. Experiments have shown that dried hardshell gourds can float in seawater for nearly a year and still retain viable seeds, so they could have been dispersed around the world by natural means. Signs point to an origin somewhere in Africa, however, where this most remarkable species is put to a variety of excellent uses. Among the Inca pieces of hardshell gourds were sometimes stitched into people's heads after trepanning (removal of parts of the skull) operations, and there is a crazy story about Toussaint L'Ouverture (I think-and I don't think I spelled that right) in Haïti demanding an outrageous amount of gold brought to him in gourds to fund the revolution or something, which is why the Haïtian currency is called the gourde to this day. Anyway, back to Bushel gourds: this mighty gourd, pictured on our cover this year, can be yours for only $3.50/pkt.

Maranka

125 days-7 to 14 pounds-dark green, sometimes with several shades of paler grey-green rippling stripes running up and down the gourd's surface. Never fails to draw comments at the pumpkin patch, with the smooth, very slightly flaring handle (sometimes curved into wild loops) dropping down from the stem to a knobbly mass at the blossom end, with numerous spiky protrusions walling off small depressions from each other. Perhaps the wildest shape in the entire cucurbit family. Only two seed companies were offering this truly unique gourd as late as 1998, but it is now becoming more widely available. Probably originated in West Africa, although it is known from Native American sweat lodges as well. A.k.a. Dolphin, Dinosaur and Caveman's Club. $40.00/4 oz. ; $15.00/oz. ; $3.00/pkt.

Big Apple

125 days-5 to 10 pounds-medium green with greenish-white cloud-like blotches of various sizes. A recent introduction that has made a big splash due to its sometimes exact resemblance to an oversize apple. Dries tan, whereupon it is often painted or lacquered red. The compact shape and thick skin combine to make a very hard shell when dried, some of them quite handsome simply encrusted with the rich dark browns and red-browns left over from the loss of their outer layers to mold and weather. $40.00/4 oz. ; $12.00/oz. ; $3.00/pkt.

Speckled Swan

130 days-9 to 15 pounds-same color pattern as Big Apple. A remarkable and graceful variety with a large round ball at the blossom end, out of which arises a cylindrical, curving neck that (usually) bends back down towards the blossom end and swells into an elegant "head" before tapering into the stem. They really do look like some kind of beautiful water bird. Does not naturally acquire the deep browns of Big Apple during the drying process. $40.00/4 oz. ; $12.00/oz. ; $3.00/pkt.

HOPED-FOR ADDITIONS FOR THE FUTURE: Kriatokolokia / Guoguohulu / Mayo Bule Warty / Mauritius Warted / Penis Shield / Pfiza / Mharwe