Adventures in Luffa Growing

 

Last summer, Blaine and I grew a luffa (loofah) plant. My sister Janie gave me the little green plant. It was about six inches tall, but when we put the little roots into our fertile soil, it took off like a race horse out of the gate. Tendrils clung to the woven wire fence as the vine grew...and grew...and grew, spreading out both ways from the root a total distance of about 30 feet. Bright yellow flowers bloomed along the way. Then the petals dropped off and tiny gourds appeared, soon growing into big ones. This little plant was thirsty; we sometimes watered it twice a day.

My research advises the time to harvest the gourds is before the frost, after they turn yellow, but only a few were yellow by the time it frosted. I picked the rest of the green gourds and hung them on a drying rack. When the gourds were ready, I banged them on a flat surface to loosen the seeds. I then peeled off the thick skin in strips. The most fun part of the harvest was shaking the loose seeds out of the gourds. Each little seed seemed to be encased in a cellophane wrapper, which dried and dropped off.

Now I have a pile of sponges to be used in a variety of ways. They can be used as a dish sponge or as a shower sponge, but more research warns that natural sponges may harbor bacteria, just like other sponges, and should be cleaned or discarded regularly. 

We saved several seeds and will probably plant some again next year, just because we enjoyed watching them grow.