How to Save Gourds

Don’t throw out your gourds when you are ready to decorate for Christmas. Save them!
I put mine on sheets of newspapers in my basement and let them dry until the next fall. I usually end up with a few that rot and those get composted. I’m always pleasantly surprised at how many dry and at the color that they retain.
I didn’t buy gourds in the fall of 2008. I used some crazy volunteers from my garden for decorating.




Here’s what they looked like on October 10, 2009 after drying for a year in my basement.

Not so great, huh???

It gets better!

Put them in the sink and wash them with a sponge. I sometimes use an old nail brush to scrub really yucky places.

All clean! After they dry, give the gourds a light coat of Future Liquid Floor Polish with a sponge brush.
Look at those rich colors!


Now get busy and decorate!
I put some in a SL@h basket. I didn’t like them in this location, so I moved them, but look at those colors.


I like this basket much better on my screened porch.

The rest of the 2008 dried gourds went into an old wooden bowl. Wooden bowls are perfect for gourds this time of year.

Read my post from last fall on this very subject for more details on saving gourds from year to year.