How to Pick a Gourd for Arts & Crafts Projects

Video Transcript

"On behalf of Expert Village my name is Karen LoCasale and I'm here to tell you about crafting with gourds. How do I find my gourds? OK, one of the questions that you'll come across is do you want to grow your own gourds or do you want to pick them. And, I've done both, it can take over a year if you try to grow your own gourds so keep that in mind. From the time that you actually plant the seed to letting the gourd grow to its full maturity, then you also have to let it dry on the vine, and that whole process can take up to a year, depending on the size of your gourd and how much water is inside of it and how long its going to take for that to dry. They do have to be totally dried out before you use them. And, they also take a lot of water to grow and in my area that is a concern so for me it's just easier to go to a gourd farm, and I go to Mother Nature's Farm in Gilbert Arizona. You can look in your local phone book or local areas to find different gourd farms. They're also available on the internet and different gourd farms do ship gourds as well so that's an option for you as well, too, that works out really well. And, a lot of companies, when you buy them from the farm you can buy them either clean or unclean and that can change your price."