Days to Maturity: 90 to 100 from direct sow
Forget paying boutique prices for this all-natural, luxurious bath sponge. Grow your own Luffa gourds and discover even more uses for this fascinating, porous fruit.
Easy, heavy-bearing, carefree vines, these gourds can reach anywhere from 6 inches to 2½ feet long, and about 4 to 7 inches in diameter. They ripen to dark green in late summer, and should be left on the vine until the skin begins to shrivel. When this occurs, harvest them and scrub the skin away, revealing the porous, dense network of tan-colored matter within. They will be full of seeds; just cut the gourd to desired size and shake out the seeds. They're ready to use!
Sow seeds directly in full sun after the soil has warmed. Train the vine onto a trellis or fence to save space and to produce more rounded fruit.
Genus | Cucurbita |
Species | cylindrica |
Variety | Luffa |
Item Form | (P) Pkt of 25 seeds |
Bloom Start to End | Early Summer - Late Summer |
Days to Maturity | 100 |
Fruit Color | Green |
Habit | Vining |
Seeds Per Pack | 25 |
Additional Characteristics | Bloom First Year, Direct Sow, Easy Care Plants, Trellises |
Bloom Color | Yellow |
Foliage Color | Dark Green |
Harvest Season | Early Fall, Late Summer |
Light Requirements | Full Sun |
Moisture Requirements | Moist, well-drained |
Resistance | Disease Resistant, Heat Tolerant, Humidity Tolerant, Pest Resistant |
Soil Tolerance | Normal, loamy |
Uses | Beds, Ornamental, Outdoor, Vines and Climbers |