I'm obsessed with gourds lately. I had this idea to grow gourds and let the vines climb our old, unused swingset so they would be hanging in the air. The first summer I grew 'warty gourds' -- they sort of remind you of the peasants working in the field in a Monty Python movie. One year later, I have a big basket of warty gourds that I have de-mildewed with bleach and a scrub brush, and I'm trying to think of things to make with them. In the meantime, this year I grew bottle gourds that now hang from the swingset and the crab-apple tree... those vines really love to climb. They have taken over the languishing tomato plants and infiltrated the ivy, many feet of vine supporting about 18 curvy green fruits. My gourd fantasies are running wild. I can make bird houses, bowls, baskets. I can carve and burn and paint designs into them. And I've got a whole year, while they dry, to lay out my plans.
