What color should my gourds be?

Question

its my first time growing gourds and iv picked five that were ready and i left them in the sun for about a month they started out green and now are turning bright yellow is this normal or have i done something wrong

Answer 1

Depends on what kind they are. There are hundreds of different types of gourds out there, with several that are green and yellow. You may have picked some before they were fully mature, and now they have turned, kind of a green tomatoe turning red in a windowsill. They could also be beginning to dry, although it is kind of early for that. Gourds usually dry out over the fall and winter and turn a brownish yellow color.

Answer 2

If when you picked the gourd off the vine the stem was brown and dry for four inches then you are FINE.

Since there are so many different types of gourds out there this is the most important tip for you. 4 inches of dry stem means the gourd has gone through it's hardening of the shell stadge and is mature to pick.

You can leave them on the vine until they dry completely but if you live in a very cold snowy area then the seeds inside may not make it. But the gourd will be fine.

The gourd is usually green when it starts to harden it's shell. However if you have an ordamental gourd type it could be cream color, orange, or yellow.

The drying process of each type of gourd is different. I have some now that have dryed stems of 4-6 inches, they were green now they are turning yellow which will then turn brown. They will get moldy and dirty looking...this is NORMAL it is the inside water coming out. These moldy spots are what gives the gourd it beautiful markings when it is cleaned and dried.

Here is a link to free information on how to grow, harvest, clean, and how to create art from them.

http://www.thegourdreserve.com/drying.html
http://tinyurl.com/2kn4d4
My Craft Group http://tinyurl.com/2pptvz

Good luck

Answer 3

Some gourds stay green, some are cream, yellow, brown or orange. Some may be more than one color on the same gourd. They're supposed to be completely colored when they are mature. Since you picked yours green & it turned a bright yellow...you picked your gourds BEFORE they were mature because "At maturity, gourds should be completely colored" and hard when pressed with a thumbnail. Large gourds are ready to harvest when the skin is hard and the stem is dry and brown, this usually requires approximately 130 days from seed to harvest. Harvest before the first frost by cutting the gourd's stem away from the plant, leaving 2-3 inches of stem attached. Handle the gourds carefully at this point."
http://hortparadise.unl.edu/newsrelease/News/DryingGourds.html

A gourd is mature or ripe when it's full-sized and its stem is brown or beginning to dry.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h136gourds.html

Gourds do not cure well until fully mature so don't try to harvest too early. Usually seed packets state the number of days from seeding to harvest to give you an idea when the fruits are mature.

"You should not cut your gourds from their vines until the vines have died on their own, or until you are expecting a killing frost. Gourds need a long growing season and if they are cut from their vines too early they will rot. Even if your gourds have quit growing they should be left on the vines in order to allow their shells to grow thicker and therefore they'll be more likely to dry properly. Any gourd that is not mature when cut from the vine will rot."
http://www.duo-county.com/~rdhughes/faqs.html#When%20should%20I%20cut

If you don't have a killing frost, leave the gourds (you still have growing) on the vine until they turn the bright yellow your other gourds turned ... & they'll be fine.

Good luck! Hope this is helpful.

Answer 4

Its normal, when they are completely dry they will look like flaking yellow cardboard.

Answer 5

THIS IS NORMAL .JUST CHECK THE GROCERY STORE AND UOU WILL SEE FOR YOURSELF.