strong - season plants witha long growing seasonare specially vulnerable to frost damage ahead of time or late in the year . In moth-eaten northern climates with a limited growing season , starting gourds ( Cucurbita spp . , Lagenaria spp . and Luffa spp . ) indoors before the outdoor growing season begin allows diverseness with a foresighted maturation stop to expand after they are transplanted to the garden . Many flora metal money are know as gourd , including plants in different genera , but all gourds apportion specific requirements that determine when their cum should be planted .
Outdoor Planting Date
Gourds are warm - season crops that need a long growing time of year innocent from rime . The best time to plant gourd seeds alfresco is in spring after the average last frost date . The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains probability data for the first and last frost and freeze of the season in every state . Check NOAA ’s website for the data about your location . Gourd seminal fluid planted in cold-blooded , wet grunge often rot before they have a hazard to sprout . broken lying areas with poor drainage and heavy shade often get Robert Lee Frost later or earlier in the time of year than the surrounding area . Planting gourds on comparatively monotone footing with full picture to sun promotes healthy development and reduces the risk of infection of frost damage .
Seed Preparation
Seeds from gourd species in the Luffa genus need special readiness before they are ready to plant . Luffa seeds have a bad outer shell that inhibit germination . Rubbing the seeds between two sheets of medium - backbone emery paper helps give away the coating on this shell . Soaking the seeds in room - temperature weewee for 24 hours completes the preparation procedure .
Growth Periods
Gourds mature best when the norm of the day and dark temperatures stay 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit . The plant life typically need 100 to 180 frost - free days , depending on their species , to hand maturity and produce fruits . gourd vine are ready to harvest when their stems dry out and grow dark-brown . The best metre to harvest gourd fruit is before the first frost in twilight , but mature fruits with a harden outer shell can tolerate a light rime .
Early Start Indoors
go gourd seminal fluid in pots indoors before the develop time of year reduces the risk of exposure of frost damage and lengthens the turn season in cold climates . The best sentence to start gourd come indoors is about four weeks before the middling last frost of the saltation season . calabash are sensitive to having their root system disturbed and farm good when they are planted in item-by-item pot . Gourd seedling are ready to transplant outdoors when they have developed four modest leaves .
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