Be Sure In The Mind

Therefore you should be sure in your mind about how to dry bird house gourds so that not only do you get the best out of your efforts but the gourds should also not waste away because you did not pick them at the right moment. In fact, once you have learnt how to dry bird house gourds you might even choose to leave them in the fields where they can dry.

On the other hand, it could be a good idea that you use other methods such as placing something beneath the gourds in order to protect them while the gourds are left out to dry. The plain truth in regard to understanding how to dry bird house gourds is that from the very ancient times, gourds have been allowed to dry out in the fields and no one has ever complained about the results. In fact, the best way to dry the gourds is to leave them on their vines. So, this is certainly an option worth looking at.

Still, in regard to learning about how to dry bird house gourds there are a few points that should be borne in mind. First of all you need to ensure that the gourds get sufficient exposure to air as that will ensure that they dry out properly. Therefore, even if you pick the gourds early you must then ensure not leaving them where there is insufficient amount of air and where ventilation is also not sufficiently good. Also, the best way to allow the gourds to dry involves never scraping the gourd in order to facilitate their drying because this will only ruin the gourds. Similarly, do not cut up the gourds and make holes in them because this too is not the recommended way of allowing them to dry.

It also pays to learn how to make a bird house gourd. In fact, learning how to decorate the bird house gourd is an added bonus and it adds to the fun of creating an attractive bird house.

Gourds grow in the ground and can easily be found adorning a garden and they are easily identified by their exciting colors as well as special markings. In some cases, the gourds might even remind you of an alien being, especially during the latter part of the summer when they are very attractive to look at.

Basics Of Growing Gourds

Once you learn the basics of growing gourds you can then turn your attention to making bird house gourds. As long as you have an appropriate gourd you can expect to easily make bird house gourds. All that you need to do is fulfill a few elementary tasks and in fact the entire process of making bird house gourds can be likened to working with wood.

The first step in making bird house gourds is pouring some warm water containing soap into a pail and then soaking your gourds in this water for about half an hour. Then you can take the gourds out and clean them with the help of scrubs to ensure that the gourds are absolutely clean. Next, you should dry out the gourds and then select a few appropriate dried out gourds that are of a suitable size for making bird house.

Gourds that measure between eight and fourteen inches in diameter should be preferred. When making bird house gourds you need to also ensure that the walls of the bird house are of proper size and in fact the walls should also be about ¼ inch thick to ensure that the bird house is sufficiently warm. Now, you can make a hole in the bird house so as to allow the birds to enter and leave. Also, add a hole at the bottom to facilitate drainage.

You will also need to clean the gourds inside out and remove seeds after which you also need to remove any signs of dust. You may also need to use copper sulfate to ensure that the gourds will remain usable over a period of time. Finally, you can paint the bird house gourds and make a hole in it from where a wire can be inserted for the purpose of hanging the bird house gourd.

If you are considering making a wren bird house makes sure to thoroughly check the plans before proceeding further. These blueprints will help you create the proper home for the wren and so ensure that you get the most out of your efforts.

Remove Immature Gourds

You should also be careful that when harvesting bird house gourds that immature gourds will generally not survive for too long while severe frost will also spoil the soft skin of the gourd and so it is necessary to begin harvesting bird house gourds before frost starts to set in. The fact is that even a mild frost will affect the gourd and the color will change and this in turn means that drying of the gourds will not succeed as required.

Also, before harvesting bird house gourds you need to ensure that you do not include gourds that have marks of bruising on them or which are in any other way spoiled. These spoiled as well as bruised gourds will only decay during the drying process and so should not be included in the drying phase.

In any case, harvesting bird house gourds requires that the gourds must be completely matured so that there is minimum chance of their being spoiled during the storage process. You need to check the stem and only when it turns brown and shows signs of drying should the harvesting bird house gourds begin.

It is not a good idea to check the gourd for ripeness through the ‘fingernail test’. In case you accidentally dent or even break the shell of the gourd while it is still unripe the bruising and denting will render the gourd useless. Therefore, only begin the harvesting bird house gourds after the fruit has ripened and also just before the onset of frosting.

The cutting of the gourds should be done with a pair of sharpened shears or even with a fruit knife and always let a few inches of the stem remain attached so as to prevent bruising and denting.

After the harvesting bird house gourds has been done you then must learn how to dry the bird house gourds. This should not be too difficult because there is enough information available regarding this and other processes of growing and curing the bird house gourds.

Be Very Patient

There is need to be very patient when it concerns drying bird house gourds because this process is a time consuming affair for which there are no shortcuts. It is necessary to ensure that drying bird house gourds is taken seriously because there is no getting around the fact that the outside portion of the gourd must be allowed to completely dry out – even if it takes months in doing so. The Lagenaria form of gourd in particular takes an especially long time in drying out – about twice as long as is the case with Cucurbita gourds.

Before starting the process of drying bird house gourds you need to wipe their surface in soapy water after which the gourds should be left to air dry and even rubbing some alcohol will help ensure that the drying is more complete.

Next, you should put the gourd in a place where there is plenty of ventilation and which is a place where no direct sunlight hits the gourds. It can take a week for this phase of the drying of bird house gourds to complete. After this phase, you can move your gourds to another well ventilated place where it is also dark and then you can just leave the gourds there for another six months for the drying process to complete.

However, it is necessary that you closely inspect the gourds on a daily basis and also remove any gourds that have rotted or are decaying or shriveling up. In addition, in this phase of drying of bird house gourds you need turn the fruits over every fortnight or so to ensure even drying and to also prevent the gourds from rotting.

The last phase of drying of bird house gourds involves putting the gourds out in the light at which time the gourds will have become very hard and if you hear the rattling sounds of seeds inside you can be sure that the drying bird house gourds process has been successfully completed.

It is also necessary to ensure that you are well informed regarding harvesting bird house gourds. Once the harvesting is done you can then proceed with the drying bird house gourds process.

Grow In The Hills

There are many different places where you can do your growing bird house gourds though hills are a special favorite location as they help ensure that gourds are not left lying on the ground where they can flatten out and so be more prone to rotting. When growing bird house gourds in the hills it is a good idea to provide a few inches of hay to act as mulch which will ensure that the gourds do not touch the ground.

Growing bird house gourds in the hills is a good idea because there is not much to worry on account of mild amount of frost as these gourds are easily able to tolerate light amount of frost. After harvesting, you need to then keep the gourd in cool and dry places so that they can dry out properly. You will know that the gourds are absolutely dry by listening to sounds of seeds within the gourd. As a matter of fact, you should be prepared to wait a few months for the drying out process to complete.

After growing bird house gourds and harvesting them you will generally, after the drying process too has completed, need to remove the outermost shell before beginning with the decorative process. Decoration is best achieved by also using wax or even varnish which will provide necessary protection to the gourd.

It is easy to create a nice looking bird house from well decorated gourds and if you have rudimentary do-it-yourself building skills the rest of the job can be accomplished without much fuss or bother. You need to be creative in designing your bird house and after it has been finished you can then go out and hang it in the garden or on a tree though be sure to varnish the gourd to ensure that it lasts for longer periods of time.

Remember to pay special attention to drying birdhouse gourds and to also exercise patience because there are no shortcuts that you can take when it concerns drying the gourd. In fact, by giving the gourd sufficient time to dry out you will ensure that you getting the desired results are easier.

Better Than Manmade Bird Houses

Quite obviously, birds like to nest in bird house gourds and will find these solutions to be better than a manmade birdhouse. Inside a bird house gourd it is recommended that you place some seeds and dried out materials which will ensure that birds then finds it easier to go about their nesting activities. In fact, this will also create more natural homes for the birds as compared with bird houses that are made from resin or even plastic.

Bird house made from gourds can be decorated and will then in fact, in their natural state become prettier as well as more rustic-looking. You can use different kinds of decorations to adorn the bird house and artists in particular can give vent to their creativity in creating excellent hand painted designs that will make for very attractive decorations which can be added to the gourd.

In fact, it is rather simple to create attractive bird house gourds and decorating the gourds too is a fun activity in itself. Using just a single plant can help produce as many as ten to twenty gourds in different shapes as well as variety of sizes. However, you need to be careful when it concerns the size of the gourd and you should actually expect to have them grow on large sized vines which mean needing to have plenty of space to work in.

Bird house gourds can be harvested during the fall months after the vines have started to die off and after harvesting you can store the gourd in dry places where they can be left to dry and cure. This of course might involve waiting for many months; the best way to know for sure that the gourds have dried and cured is to listen for sounds of dried seeds rattling inside the gourd.

For those people that are interested in growing bird hour gourds there are a few excellent resources that are worth tapping. With a little research you can learn how to grow bottle gourds that can grow on your fences or even on trellises and once they have dried out they can be used to create excellent homes for different varieties of bird species.