How to Make Martin Gourd Bird Houses
Homeowners welcome martins to their yards, because the birds eat insects exclusively. Homeowners who garden can grow gourds during the summer, cure them over the winter and use them to build birdhouses to attract martins to their yards in the spring. Making martin birdhouses from gourds requires only a few tools. Children can participate in decorating the houses. Once the gourds are cured and prepared, you can make gourd birdhouses for martins within a few hours and give the houses away as gifts or sell them at craft shows.
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Things You'll Need
- Shears
- Bleach
- Water
- Measuring cups
- Bucket
- Washcloth
- Towel
- Newspaper
- Soft hand soap
- Steel wool
- Drill
- Drill bits
- Face mask
- Screwdriver
- Oil-based primer
- Oil-based exterior paint
Instructions
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1
Harvest a hard-skinned gourd after the vine withers. Choose a gourd measuring between 8 and 13 inches in diameter at the widest point. Leave the stem attached to the gourd, but cut it short with pruning shears.
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2
Clean and disinfect the gourd by mixing a solution of bleach and water in a bucket. Mix 1 cup of bleach with 10 cups of water and dip a washcloth into the solution. Wipe the gourd with the washcloth to remove dirt and debris. Pat the gourd dry with a towel.
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3
Set the cleaned gourd on an old newspaper and in a dry place to dry. When completely dry, transfer the gourd to a dry storage area to allow the gourd to air dry for 3 to 6 months, until the seeds inside the gourd come loose.
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4
Check the gourd to see if it is ready to make into a birdhouse by shaking the gourd after 3 months of drying time. After three months, shake the gourd weekly until the seeds start to rattle around inside the gourd, which is an indication that the gourd is dry enough to proceed. By this time you will notice mold growing on the exterior of the gourd. This mold occurs naturally as the gourd cures. Wipe the mold away with the same bleach and water solution as used previously.
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5
Clean the exterior of the gourd again when it is completely dry to remove the mold and debris on the exterior of the gourd. Place the gourd in sink full of hot, soapy water for 15 minutes while you scrub the gourd with a piece of steel wool. Thoroughly rinse the gourd after the 15 minutes or after you have removed all the mold discoloration. Set the gourd aside to dry overnight.
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6
Drill an entrance hole into the front of the gourd. Hold the gourd up and find a spot that faces directly outward and not up or down. Mark this spot with a small pencil mark and then drill a 2 1/8-inch diameter hole in the side of the gourd, just large enough for the martins to enter and exit the gourd birdhouse.
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7
Remove the seeds from inside the gourd. Wear a face mask and use a screwdriver to pry any attached seeds loose and drag the seeds towards the hole for removal.
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8
Use a 1/4-inch or smaller drill bit to drill hanging, ventilation and drainage holes into the gourd. Drill a hole straight through both sides of the neck of the gourd to use as ventilation and hanging holes. Drill at least four holes in the bottom of the gourd to allow bird droppings and any rain that gets into the birdhouse to drain out.
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9
Soak the gourd in wood preservative for a minimum of 15 minutes to protect the shell and prevent water damage. Set the gourd aside to dry overnight after this short soaking.
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10
Paint the exterior of the gourd with an oil-based primer and allow overnight drying. Apply an oil-based exterior paint in your color choice to the exterior of the gourd. Work carefully to avoid sealing the small holes at the top and bottom of the gourd. Allow a final overnight drying before hanging the gourd out for your local martins.
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Tips & Warnings
Discard any gourds that become soft during the 3 to 6 months of drying time.
Use other colors of oil-based exterior paint to paint images and designs onto the gourd birdhouses.
Other, smaller birds may find the gourd birdhouses before the martins. Place your birdhouses in a habitat that martins visit frequently.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit purple martin image by Dwight Davis from Fotolia.com
