Purple martins nest almost exclusively in man-made structures like a birdhouse constructed from one of our raw, cleaned gourds. If you’re eager to attract this large swallow species to your backyard, a dried and cleaned gourd can easily be constructed into a birdhouse.

 Procedure:

• Select a well-dried and aesthetically pleasing gourd. Remember, thick walls will ensure that the gourd birdhouse will weather the elements well.  Varieties with broad bottoms like Martin and Bottle make good choices here.
• Using a 2″ circle saw, drill a hole roughly 3 inches above the base of the gourd.  Work slowly to avoid splintering the gourd.  The circle saw bit will leave a clean-edged hole.
• The gourd will still be full of seeds and some internal membranes, so you can empty those out through the hole you just cut. Don’t throw away the seeds! They can be planted to produce your own gourds during the next growing season.
• Drill three small holes in the bottom of the gourd for drainage. 1/8″ will do nicely here.
• Drill two holes at the top of the gourd and thread either sisal twine or thin wire through to hang the birdhouse.
• You are now free to paint, stain or seal your gourd birdhouse in any way you’d like. Bright solid colors work well.

If you need some creative inspiration, here’s a selection of gourd birdhouses available at our online store.

Various gourd shapes make up our MBGourd birdhouses

Raw penguin gourds

If you’re new to crafting with gourds, you’ve probably discovered that there are a dizzying number of gourd varieties – shapes, sizes and grades – available to the crafting consumer. Our raw, cleaned gourds are craft-ready for your next project.

The best way to create a beautiful gourd art piece is to start with a top quality gourd. The most prized gourds among many gourd artisans are those that are symmetrical with a smooth, thick shell without visible cracks or other imperfections. Inspect the surface of the gourd closely and look for cracks or other damage.

Superficial cracks can be easily patched and filled with any commercially available woodfiller.

Choose gourds that have a shape and size that works for your intended craft project. Penguin gourds have a curved neck that many find appealing, but may not stand upright on their own. Bottle gourds have a pinched waist between wider tops and bottoms. Experiment with different sizes and shapes to get those creative juices flowing. Does the raw gourd remind you of something? Build your design around it.

Treat the walls of the gourd as you would treat wood – it can be etched, burned with a woodburning tool, carved, stained and painted. The only limits are your imagination! Just a reminder: gourd dust can be irritating, so be sure to wear a respirator and work in a well-ventilated area if you are going to be cutting your gourd open.

Raw gourds at Meadowbrooke Gourds

For all of you DIYers out there or for those that are just interested in what we do at Meadowbrooke Gourds, here is some insight into one of the steps in gourd crafting- drying.

For those that want to craft and paint their own gourds without the hassle of growing, drying, and cleaning, we do offer raw, cleaned gourds in many shapes and sizes online here.

Here at the farm after the first frost, we cut the gourds off the vine and line them up in rows. There they sit until the snows melt and the ground thaws. By that time they are close to 90% dry. Then we pick them up, and the can begin thier journey to our washing and crafting rooms.

Gourds in our zone in Central Pennsylvania grow from June to October or until the first hard frost hits.  The frost will kill the vine and it will not continue to grow.  After the hard frost hits, pick your gourds and let them dry outside over winter, off the ground (skid, picnic table, etc.) if you can.  It is okay to place them on the ground-they will just take a little longer to dry.  If a gourd has a matured to a hard shell a frost will not harm it.  If a gourd got a late start and is not mature, the frost will make it rot.

A quality gourd will go through a skin decay molding process-this is normal as long as the gourd is still hard and not mushy to the touch.  Do not get discouraged if your gourds look terrible and may even smell.  Small gourds dry faster than larger ones.  Some really large gourds can take up to June the following year to dry completely.  Your gourd is completely dried when it weighs only ounces.  For most, this is around March or April.

Please let us know if you have any gourd drying questions! We’re here to help.

The weather here in Carlisle is absolutely beautiful and it’s making us excited for the warm months to come and lots of time spent outside! Meadowbrooke Gourds is known for our handcrafted gourds, but we also sell raw gourds for you to craft on your own! We just wrote a recent post about gourd crafting and how much fun it can be. Gourd crafting is virtually limitless since dried gourds can be crafted like a fragile piece of wood. One of our popular items for the warmer months is our gourd butterfly house. To make your own butterfly house start with a raw, cleaned gourd as shown below.

This is a penguin gourd and we recommend the 13 inch size for this project. (click the image to purchase online.)

* Next, drill staggered slits into the gourd for the butterflies to enter the house. We use 5 slits. Do not worry about cleaning out the material inside the dried gourd. This actually gives the butterflies more protection.

* Paint the house any way you would like! Be creative and have fun! We have seen loads of creativity during our “Paint your Own” Workshops. Check out the photos on our Facebook page for some inspiration.

* Drill holes in the stem to attach a wire for hanging.

Pictured above: Meadowbrooke Gourd’s signature butterfly houses.

Place in your garden or on your porch and enjoy!