Started Aug 4th

Plants started August 4, 2013

step-by-step

Most people because of the long growing time will have to start their germination inside at the end of winter season. Loofah sponges will need 150-200 days of growth. You can figure out when you need to start your plants depending on your USDA zone or when your spring starts.
I live in Alabama in zone 6, so i can start mine either the end of december or the beginning of the year. I have a long warm season so i could even start them in February or March. I have chosen to start then now in August just for demonstration only. I will start another batch at the right growth time for me at the end of the year. I know that this batch will most likely not produce sponges, but that is ok. This is more of a tutorial for my readers.
I bought a Burpee seed starting greenhouse for my germination this season. This seems to be the easiest greenhouse kit that i have found. All you have to do is add water then seeds. I bought it at my local walmart.
This greenhouse has pellets that will grow and turn into nutrient rich soil just by adding water.

STEP #1: Get your pots or greenhouse ready for seeds.

Depending on what you are using your steps may very from mine. I will just go through my steps using the Burpee greenhouse though.

You make sure the each pellet is sitting flat down and not turned to the side. You want the pellet to grow up when you add water. You can see the picture on the package. Once you have done this you will be adding the correct amount of warm water to the cells as recommended on the package. 

You will see each pellet start to grow and expand the size of the cell to become loose soil.

As you can see i started with the pellets in the front and poured some water just over the top of each cell to loosen the top soil until it expanded. I had to use my fingers to loosen some of the cells though. That is okay too. It doesn't hurt the soil.

STEP #2: Grab your seeds and place two seeds in each pot or cell if you are using an indoor greenhouse.

Press the seeds into the soil and make sure to pack them in all the way. You want to make sure that the seeds are fully covered for good growth and germination. 

This is a short video on youtube of me planting my seeds in my kitchen.

STEP #3: Once you have planted all of your seeds your tray should look like this.

Nice and neat, all packed down with no seeds showing. Yeah!!!

STEP #4: Then you are going to cover your greenhouse and place it in a safe place from pets and kids. Unless you have my kids, they will climb on anything to get to what they want, lol.

Your finished product should look like these pictures below.

You will start to see some condensation of the lid of your greenhouse. This is normal and what you want to see. It is caused by the warm water that you are using. It is good for the plants to create the right type of environment for growth.

If you have any questions so far please feel free to ask. Goodbye for now and keep growing

Info about site and plants

I am growing loofah gourds in my garden. These gourds will become fibrous and harden as they mature. The fibrous part of the plant will then become a sponge. These sponges are used for cleaning and scrubbing in the shower. They don't require a lot of time on your part, but you do have to have a lot of patience. It is a slow growing plant that takes about 150-200 days of growth. It is a long season plant. Best grow in USDA zones 6 or 7. Some people are able to grow them in zones 4 and 5 by starting them late in the winter season indoors first before transferring them outside in the spring.
Loofah gourds are grown on a vine. The vines have been known to grow 25 to 30 in length. Over time the vines will grow and produce yellow flowers. The female buds will then grow and produce fruit. This fruit will be the gourd. When they are fully developed and dry out you will be able to pick, peel, and clean then. This will happen late in the season.
Even though it is not the right time to start growing loofah gourds, i have started some. I want to give my readers something to follow while growing these plants. I will start another batch of plants when the season is right. All of the photos are going to be the same from planting and growing process.
If you have any questions please feel free to comment or email me. I will be happy to answer any of them.
Please check out my new page.....WHAT IS GROWING NOW TO SEE THE NEW CROP.

About me

This blog goes with my website: www.growingloofah.com. Please visit and enjoy!

I am a single mother of two boys. I live with my fiancé and kids in Montgomery, AL. I am a stay at home mom with the chance to change my life. I have started several sites and blogs about different things that interest me. I look forward to sharing all my information, pictures, videos, and my blunders.
This blog is going to be very down to earth and easy to understand. I don't like it when I am reading something that sounds like it just came out of a text book. Everything on here will be straight from the heart with love and laughs. Yes i said laughs...at me that is. I have a great sense of humor and want to share it. Trust me when i say that you will get loads of laughs at my expense.
So, throw out to grammar books, ditch the dictionaries, and join me for some good ole fashion fun. I hope that you will enjoy this blog as much as i am going to enjoy writing it.
Thanks again and have a blessed day!!!