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Grow Your Own Luffa!
Briana Peterson
One of the most popular social media crazes in the vegetable gardening world lately is the Luffa Gourd. Grown in some countries as an edible (it belongs to the cucumber family), most people are currently growing them for their rough, spongey insides.
As an avid social media user in the gardening sphere, I determined that I had to follow suit and try growing them this year. These gourds have a long growing season, which is extended even further due to the drying process. To successfully obtain the dry, spongey insides you must allow the plant to grow to maturity first and then let the fruit dry out on the vine.
With our short summers here in Canada, it is best to start seeds indoors in the late winter (mid February to mid March depending on your zone). I started mine in mid February in zone 6, which was a couple weeks too early. They grew 18 inches tall before it was time to plant them outside so they became tough to manage.
Before planting your seeds, soak them in water for 24 hours to aid in germination. For those with shorter growing seasons, growing these gourds in pots provides an opportunity to bring the plant indoors before first frost to allow ample time for the fruit to dry. Provide the plant with a sturdy obelisk to climb on, and as the plant grows, guide it around the obelisk horizontally so that it takes longer for it to reach the top.
Female luffa flower.
As with other gourds, the Luffa has both male and female flowers, so multiple plants will help ensure successful pollination, or else hand pollination works too. The gourds grow very quickly once pollinated, to the point where you can go out every day and see a noticeable difference in their growth! I enjoyed measuring mine daily.
Gourd drying out (notice the loss of colour, brown spots and the vine is dying).
Once the gourd has grown to full size, it will slowly begin to dry. You will notice brown spots on the gourd at first, and it will slowly turn completely brown. Once it is dry, the gourd will be noticeably lighter in weight and you can pull it off the vine, peel it and shake out the seeds. Wash the luffa in water mixed with hydrogen peroxide to clean off any bacteria, and let it fully dry in a sunny spot. Once it is dry you can cut it up and, voila! You have a sponge ready to be used in the shower or with your dishes.
Dried luffa in different stages of being peeled.
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