This is one of my favorite spring projects to do with kids and adults alike, but you have to plan for it in the fall, so when you're headed to your local pumpkin patch this October, don't forget to grab a few of these before you check out!
What is a birdhouse gourd?
The birdhouse gourd is an overlooked fall vegetable that is actually a tropical squash from Northern Africa. First cultivated more than 10,000 years ago, it's a member of the cucumber family. It's developed a hard shell instead of the leathery skin you're used to seeing in this family, and that makes it one of the more versatile vegetables in your garden. As the gourd dries over time, the inside becomes a dry, feathery pulp and the outside turns from light green to a leathered tan. Once you clean it out, it can be made into all sorts of things-- drinking bottles, storage containers, musical instruments, floating devices, and, as the name implies, a bird house!
How do you grow it?
If you have the space, growing these gourds is very easy which is part of the reason they're cultivated all over the world. Plant them at the same time you would pumpkins, usually mid to early summer, then give them some room to grow, or better yet, give them something to climb. The plant will vine it's way all over and the gourds will hang down as they develop. Like other members of the squash and cucumber world, you'll see male and female flowers. The male flowers will appear larger and the smaller flowers will have a miniature fruit formed behind them, which will eventually develop into your gourd.
Now, the waiting game. Let it dry completely.
This is a project that you start in the fall and then finish the following spring, why? because the gourds need time to dry. There's not much to this part of the process, once you're done displaying the gourds, set them aside somewhere protected from the weather and let them be. They may develop a bit of white powdery mildew or even some mold, but don't fret, it'll still work just fine. Turn the gourds every now and again so that they dry evenly, and keep them out of direct sunlight. Eventually you want the gourds to be hard and dry to the touch. When you give them a shake you'll hear seeds rattling around inside. That is a gourd that's ready to become a birdhouse!
Making your own Birdhouse Gourd:
Materials needed:
- Dried birdhouse gourds
- A powerdrill
- Holesaw bit (1 inch - 1.5 in)
- Small drill bit
- Fine sandpaper (optional)
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrushes
- Paint pens (optional) - Floral Wire
- Clear water-based polyurethane
- Wire
Steps:
1) Prepare to clean and cut your gourds outside since they tend to get messy. Attach your saw hole bit to your drill and very carefully cut your opening in the gourd. Do not apply much pressure as you might crack your gourd. The size of the hole will determine what types of birds will move in, I went for a 1.5" hole so that we attracted smaller songbirds like chickadees and nuthatches.
2) Once your hole is drilled, you need to shake out the inside. You can save the seeds for planting your own gourds next year, if you'd like. We used a spoon and some pliers to pinch and scrape away the dry pulp on the inside. It doesn't have to be perfectly clean, just enough room for a happy little bird family to move in. The pulp feels a bit like cotton.
3) Wipe off the outside of your gourd with fine sandpaper or a dry sponge, this will help remove any remaining mold or debris still stuck to the outside. Then wipe the whole thing off with a damp cloth so it's a clean surface for your paint
4) Painting time! You can either just start painting however you'd like, or you can start by tracing your design on with a pencil first. Acrylic paints work perfectly on this project and will give you nice coverage. To create a class gift for our teacher, we had each child put their finger print on the gourd and then using a paint pen, added details to turn the prints into bees. Each child signed their name with a sharpie underneath their bee.
5) Let it dry, then add a coat or two of the water-based polyurethane. This will make sure the colors don't wash away in the weather.
6) Create the hanging wire. The easiest way to do this is by attaching your small drill bit to your powerdrill and creating two small holes opposite each other at the top of your gourd. Then using a long length of floral wire (about 12 inches) fish one side of the wire into one hole until you can grab it in the birdhouse opening. Then, twist it around a small piece of wood like a stick or a popsicle stick. Then pull the wire back up so that the stick goes up inside the gourd, this will keep the wire from slipping out the hole. Do the same thing to the other side.
7) You're all done! Hang your beautiful gourds outside in a tree or hang them inside for a fun decoration!
If you'd like to buy materials for this project:
Acrylic Paints https://amzn.to/3pgz3dF
Paint Pens https://amzn.to/3pjcPYn
Hole Saw bit https://amzn.to/3AmFjH6
Paint Brushes https://amzn.to/3SNn5Wn
Floral Wire https://amzn.to/3JXk9m8
Water-based polyurethane https://amzn.to/3zZR1FU
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