Gourds

Gourds were very much a part of life in the early days of America. Seeds were readily available and the germination rate was near 100 percent. Gourds grew on a vine that had attractive light-green leaves. An old joke was that when you planted a gourd seed, you needed to run away from it as fast as your could. The reason was that the vine grew so fast, that it might overtake you! It climbed over everything. Each vine produced many gourds and needed no fertilizer or care. It was one of those "just leave me alone" plants.

Some gourds were round and fat, others were long and slender. Most were green at first and then turned light brown when drying out. Some were stripped. Uses ran from storage of solids and/or liquids to bird houses, dippers, and decorations. It was not unusual to see a wooden cross in peoples yard with four to ten gourd bird houses hanging from it. Sometimes there would be more than one crossbar to hang even more birdhouses. They were used by martins, sparrows, and a host of other type birds.