Lagenaria siceraria
Bottle gourd
Common names: Calabash, Bottle calabash
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 100 cm, rows 200 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Aug–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 2 °C
- Water need
- High
Photo: 撮影者はカールおじさんです。 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is a vigorous climbing pumpkin that thrives in warmer climates and grows rapidly in summer. It produces large white flowers that open only at dusk and are pollinated by night-flying insects; during the day the flowers are usually closed. When harvested young, the fruits taste mild like zucchini and can be cooked in many ways. As they mature, the rind hardens and the fruit becomes the classic drinking or decorative calabash. Only young, mildly flavored fruits are edible; bitter fruits contain natural bitter compounds that can cause severe gastrointestinal upset and should not be eaten.
Care instructions
Start the plant indoors around mid‑April (week 16) on a windowsill, then transplant outdoors after the last frost, mid‑May (week 20), when night frosts are unlikely. It needs full sun, wind protection, fertile soil, and regular watering without waterlogging, especially on hot days. Provide a sturdy trellis at planting so the vines grow upward instead of rotting on the ground. Remove diseased or wilted leaves promptly and ensure good air circulation to prevent powdery mildew. Harvest ripe fruits before the first autumn cold in October, as even light frost can damage the plant.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May
HarvestAug–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 18 °C, ideally 28 °C
- Days to sprout
- 7 to 14 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 2.5 cm
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, moist
The bottle gourd likes a deep, humus-rich soil that holds moisture but does not allow waterlogging. A good helping of mature compost before planting gives it the strength for its long vines. Sandy-loamy garden soil with a high humus content suits it best.
Grow bottle gourd in the same place only every four years, to avoid soil-borne diseases and one-sided nutrient depletion.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
May–Jul
As a heavy feeder, the bottle gourd welcomes an application of compost at planting and nettle feed during the main growing period from May to July. A mulch layer of grass clippings or straw keeps the soil moist and incidentally supplies nutrients. For fruit set in late summer you can reduce feeding, so that the plant puts its energy into the fruit rather than the foliage.
Overwintering
The bottle gourd is frost-tender and does not survive a German winter outdoors. It is grown as an annual and dies after the autumn harvest. Ripe, hardened fruits, on the other hand, can be kept for months in cool, dry storage.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
Propagation is exclusively by seed. Start the plants from mid-April · week 16 on a windowsill or in a warm greenhouse, as they need a long warm period until harvest. After the Ice Saints, from mid-May · week 20, the young plants may go outdoors or into an unheated conservatory. A sunny, wind-sheltered spot with a sturdy climbing frame makes it easier for the vigorous shoots to get started.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
legume family (Fabaceae)
Beans and peas enrich the soil with nitrogen, which cucurbits, as heavy feeders, can make good use of.
For example PeaBush beanPole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled pea and 36 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
You should avoid planting potato and cucumber together because they share disease pathogens such as leaf and brown rot and stand in each other's way as strong feeders.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 14 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Bottle gourd yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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