Other Names:  Bottle Gourd, Birdhouse Gourd, Gooseneck Gourd

Description:

A vigorous vining variety producing interestingly shaped gourds; gourds can be eaten at a young stage while the skin is light green in color; flavor resembles a zucchini; mature gourds are inedible but can be dried for various decor applications

Edible Qualities

Calabash Gourd is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces light green fruit with creamy white variegation which can be harvested at any point. The fruit will often fade to tan over time. The fruits have a mild taste.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Cooking

Planting & Growing

Calabash Gourd will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 3 feet apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This species is not originally from North America..