I hope I'm in the right forum for this, but never having dealt with gourds before I'm not quite sure what they are! My husband on one of his unsupervised shopping trips came home with a packet of "dipper gourd" seeds. To humor him I started six inside, we planted them out in the seasonal garden, and now we have gourds galore! Baby gourd ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) This is a baby one, still has its fuzz on. Here is a larger one, about 3' long at this point and still growing. Bigger dipper gourd ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) I have read up on gourds--when to pick, how to dry, etc. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with over a dozen gourds!
When you have them dry and clean you could take them to a daycare or have the police deliver them to a women's shelter where the kids could color or paint on them to make something pretty for Mom.
Marlin, as a child, in South Carolina, I actually drank from a gourd dipper. We were out on a country road, became thirsty and happened upon a roadside spring. The thoughtful person who lived nearby had hung a gourd dipper for just such as we. The water tasted sweet and satisfying.
Let them dry, cut a circle hole, empty the seeds, put on a piece of dowel and hang it in a tree, Bird House! dooley
Mart, the gourds would probably make good maracas, but only for players standing far, far away so as not to whack the other band members. I can't start a band--I'm musically challenged (tone-deaf). Dooley, my husband is thinking of making bird houses from the gourds, but trying to hang them in trees may require a longer ladder than we have!
Just make the hole the right size and bluebirds might like them. Make a roof, drill or cut a hole to go over the gourd handle,,then just slide it over the larger part. They don`t have to hang up high !!
