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  3. Edible Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins

In India and other parts of Asia, gourds are grown as food rather than just as decorative fruit.  They are all Members of the cucumber family, known as cucurbits. All of these vegetables produce vines that run along the ground or climb. It is best to train them on a trellis or fence, thus keeping the fruit off the ground. 

You can plant seeds in the summer directly in the garden after all danger of frost.  Alternatively seeds may be started indoors 6-8 weeks before your 1st frost free date. Cucurbits need full sun and well-drained soil in order to thrive. Before planting, add organic matter for best results.

Cucurbits produce separate male and female flowers, but they both occur on the same plant. To distinguish the male flowers from the female flowers in cucurbits, look at the flowers closely. It is behind the flower where the differences between male and female flowers can be observed. Behind the flower,the female flower possesses an ovary that looks like a miniature version of the fruit that will eventually form. Pollen must be transferred from the male flowers to the female flowers to obtain fruit. Pollen transfer is done by bees and other insects.  If necessary, one can hand pollinate female flowers transferring the pollen from the male flower using an artist's brush.

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Bottle gourd-Alok

(Lageneria siceraria) Bottle gourd, also known as bottle squash, calabash gourd, Doodhi, or Lowki is a delicious vegetable that has many uses. Its delicate nutty flavor adds greatly to hot curries as well as cooling yogurt dishes like Raita. It can be used like squash but it has a firmer, crisper texture.

Alok is a light green variety, with uniform straight tender fruits, 1 to 1.5 ft long. 10-15 seeds/regular pkt.

 

Hybrid variety, non- treated seed


SKU: 457
Price: $3.25 
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Bottle gourd-Bhim - Product Image
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Bottle gourd-Bhim

(Lageneria siceraria) Parrot green, bottle-shaped fruit, from 1-2 ft. Extra long. Excellent taste. Approx 20 seeds/pkg

OP variety, Treated seeds


SKU: 356
Price: $3.25 
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Bottle gourd-Bhoomi

(Lageneria siceraria) A globe shaped variety that produces melon sized fruit, with all the flavor of the longer varieties. 10-15 seeds/pkg.

 

Hybrid variety, non-treated seeds


SKU: 350
Price: $3.25 
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Bottle Gourd Trendy  - Product Image

Bottle Gourd Trendy

Compact pear shaped variety of hybrid bottle gourd with an average weight of just 1.7 Lb, and 6 in long by 4 in wide. Ready in 50 days from sowing. High performing Hybrid.

 Hybrid, treated seed


SKU: 365
Price: $3.49 
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Bottle Gourd- Dhol

A shorter variety of Bottle gourd with all the same delicious flavor.

Characteristics: Early maturity, vigorous growth, with relative resistance to powdery mildew. Strong fruit setting ability, can set many fruits on large vines. 

Matures in about 50-55 days from sowing to harvest, long harvest time, light green fruits, drum shape, fruit length is about 10-12", single fruit weights about 500-700 g.

Tender flesh, slow to age, resistant to storage and transportation, good commodity, super high yield.

 

OP, non treated seed


SKU: 360
Price: $3.25 
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Birdhouse Gourd-Sale! - Product Image
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Birdhouse Gourd-Sale!

This is a bottle gourd variety that is edible when young but when allowed to mature on the vine and turn brown, can be used to make utensils, containers or birdhouses. Pick them when they first turn brown and allow them to dry in a cool place after washing them with a mild detergent. Once they are dry, store them in newspapers till the seeds begin rattling within. Drill a 2" hole on the side of the gourd and scoop the dried seeds and membrane out. Make smaller holes on top to hang the birdhouse. Paint or varnish the gourds and hang them to attract your feathered friends.
SKU: 366
Sale Price: $2.75 Regular Price: $3.49  
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Bottle gourd Monsoon - Product Image
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Bottle gourd Monsoon

Vigorous plants with prolific bearing habit. Fruits are tender and cylindrical 1 ft. long fruit weighing 1.5 Kg. The rind is smooth, dark green with white specks. The flesh is white with slow seed maturity. It is a heavy yielder.

 

OP variety, non treated seed 


SKU: 355
Price: $3.25 
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Ridge gourd-Rishi

Ridgegourd (Luffa acutangula), or turiya is another easy gourd to grow and is a versatile vegetable that adds a new dimension to vegetarian cuisine. Rishi is a long, slender, variety shiny green with prominent ridges. The fruit is 15-17" long and even in width. Also known as Chinese okra. Approx 10-15 sds/pkg. Ridge gourds have a long growing season of 100 to 180 frost-free days until harvest. If you live in an area with short growing season, you can start seeds indoors four weeks prior to transplanting outdoors.

 

Ridge gourd seeds are considered difficult to germinate.  We recommend soaking the seed in warm water overnight before sowing 1/2 in deep.   

 

non-treated seeds, Hy


SKU: 528
Price: $3.25 
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Ridge Gourd - Madhuri - Product Image
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Ridge Gourd - Madhuri

(Luffa acutangula) Madhuri is a highly productive ridge gourd, with a fruit length of 13". with a wide blossom end. The thick flesh is sweet and crisp. A healthy vegetable high in fiber, and minerals. Easy to grow and resistant to insect damage. Ridge gourds have a long growing season of 100 to 180 frost-free days until harvest. If you live in an area with short growing season, you can start seeds indoors four weeks prior to transplanting outdoors.

U, HY

Ridge gourd is sometimes referred to as Chinese okra.  


SKU: 520
Price: $3.25 
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Bitter gourd - Bahadur

Vigorous plants with prolific bearing habit. Starts fruiting in 45-50 days after sowing. Fruits are long (9-12") with dark green shining skin having sharp tubercles. It is a heavy yielder with good transport qualities. Glossy Indian type bittergourd.

 

Bitter gourd seeds are considered difficult to germinate.  We recommend filing the sides of the seed coat with a nail file and soaking the seed in warm water overnight before sowing 1/2 in deep.   

 

Untreated seeds, Hy


SKU: 532
Price: $3.25 
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Bitter gourd-Jawahar - Product Image
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Bitter gourd-Jawahar

(Momordica charantia) Bitter gourd or karela, also known as bitter melon in the Chinese markets, is a delicacy that is nutritious and is renowned to have medicinal qualities. It can be fried, stuffed, pickled, baked or curried. Varieties of this vegetable include those with very light, almost whitish green skin to the dark bottle green colored skin. Some are almost a foot-and-a-half, while others are just about 2"-3" long. Cooking this vegetable seems to reduce some of the bitter taste. Jawahar is emerald green, 7-8" fruit, quite bitter, a heavy yielder bearing 55-60 days from sowing.

 

Approx 15 seeds/ pkt. 120 seeds/oz non treated,Hy


SKU: 531
Price: $3.25 
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Bitter gourd - Indira

Indian type bitter gourd/ Vigorous plants start bearing in 45-50 days after sowing. Fruits are short (2-3 in) spindle shaped with dark green shiny skin having sharp tubercles on their surface. It is a high yielder and suitable for stuffed preparations.

In Jamaica this variety is popular and known as Cerasee.

 

Bitter gourd seeds are considered difficult to germinate. We recommend filing the sides of the seed coat with a nail file and soaking the seed in warm water overnight before sowing 1/2 in deep.

 

120 seeds/oz

Non treated, Hy


SKU: 533
Price: $3.25 
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Bitter gourd-Gori

(Momordica charantia) This particular hybrid is white in color with good teething. Fruit length is approximately 25 cms. and it is very productive and attractive.

 

Bitter gourd seeds are considered difficult to germinate. We recommend filing the sides of the seed coat with a nail file and soaking the seed in warm water overnight before sowing 1/2 in deep.

 

Approx 15 sds/regular pkt. T, Hy


SKU: 530
Price: $3.25 
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Bitter Gourd - Sayonara

Oriental type bittergourd that is less bitter than the Indian varieties. A very high yielding high quality hybrid. The plants are vigorous and early. Fruits are shiny green with continuous attractive ribs and few bubbles. Fruits are 15 inches in length with blunt end and weighing upto 1.5 lbs.

 

Bitter gourd seeds are considered difficult to germinate. We recommend filing the sides of the seed coat with a nail file and soaking the seed in warm water overnight before sowing 1/2 in deep.

 

Non-treated seeds


SKU: 536
Price: $3.25 
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Pumpkin Amir - Product Image
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Pumpkin Amir

Indian type pumpkin, with blackish green skin. Each fruit weighs 4-5 Kg with delicious light yellow flesh. Good cooking variety. This hybrid matures in 70-80 days.

 

Hybrid variety, non treated


SKU: 560
Price: $2.99 
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Pumpkin - Jade Prince

Pumpkin (Jade Prince) is an open pollenated variety that shows vigorous vegetative growth and is prolific fruit production. It is tolerant to powdery mildew. The fruit weighs  on average 8-10 kg and has a long shelf life. Flesh is orange-yellow in color, an excellent sweet taste and smooth flesh. Maturity is around 100 days from sowing. 

 

Non treated seeds , OP


SKU: 566
Price: $2.99 
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Ash Gourd - Yash  - Product Image
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Ash Gourd - Yash

(Benincasa hispida) Yash is a uniformly round variety of Ash Gourd, also known as Wax gourd, winter melon, fuzzy melon, and hairy melon. The fruit is covered by a white, chalky wax which deters microorganisms and helps impart an extraordinary longevity to the melon. Winter melon fruits can be stored for as long as a year without refrigeration. Ash gourd can be used in many variety of dishes from curries to soups to candies.

 

Approx 20 seeds/pkg. non-treated seed, OP


SKU: 570
Price: $3.25 
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Ash Gourd - Ganges

Round to square in shape. When mature the gourd is coverered in white powder. Single fruit weights 3 to 5 Lbs. Palmate leaf, short internode wth the first female generally appearing in 6th-9th section, each 2-4 leaves will bear a female flower, sub-vines can also bear fruits.

Cultivation: The growing period is about 90-120 days, seedling age is about 35-40 days, from transplanting to beginning of harvest tender melons need about 40-55 days. Best started indoors 6-8 before transplanting outdoors.

Untreated seeds, OP Variety


SKU: 575
Price: $3.25 
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Butternut Squash-Waltham - Product Image
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Butternut Squash-Waltham

is an edible type of winter squash with a bulbous shape. It has a sweet, nutty buttery taste that is similar to pumpkin or sweet potato. It has a salmon-yellow skin and orange flesh. As it ripens, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. It grows on a vine, so support should be provided. Butternut squash can be roasted, pureed or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muffins. It is notable for its ability to be stored for long periods when stored in a cool dry place. T,OP Approximately 20 seeds/pkt.

 

non treated seeds 


SKU: 580
Price: $1.75 
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Sponge gourd-Chickni  - Product Image
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Sponge gourd-Chickni

Spongegourd or Galka (Luffa cylindrica)- This is a smooth skin type luffa, closely related to ridge gourd. The fruit is edible only when immature and is cooked like zucchini. The matured fruit forms sponge-like fibers inside. The dried matured fruits are often used as scrubbers, cleaning pads or bath sponges. Fruits are cylindrical-shaped, 8-12" long and 3" across, and with green skin and white flesh. Approx 20-25 seeds/pkg.

Known as Nenwa in Guyana and northern India.

Treated seeds, Hy


SKU: 950
Price: $3.25 
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Sponge gourd - Sweet Honey  - Product Image
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Sponge gourd - Sweet Honey

Sponge gourd or luffa is eaten as a vegetable in it's immature stage. Also known as Galka in India. The sweet honey sponge gourd is our special selected variety, vigorous and prolific. Fruit is green in color, 2 in wide and 10 in long, weighing up to 8 oz. It has excellent taste. Maturity is in 45 days after transplanting.  

Known as Nenwa in Guyana. 

U, OP 


SKU: 955
Price: $3.25 
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Snake gourd Serpent

Vigorous vines that produce fruit in 45-50 days. The uniform gourds produced are white and medium in length and weigh between 12 oz to 1 pound each.

 

Treated seed, Hy.


SKU: 998
Price: $3.25 
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Snake gourd- Viper  - Product Image
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Snake gourd- Viper

This is the most common variety of snake gourd found in Southern India. One can expect gourds that are 3-4 feet long. This vine plant grows vigorously and is very prolific. In India it is a common sight to see them growing with rocks tied to their ends so they don't curl. Approx. 10 seeds/ pkt. 

 

Snake gourd seeds are considered difficult to germinate.  We recommend filing the sides of the seed coat with a nail file and soaking the seed in warm water overnight before sowing 1/2 in deep.  

 

 Non treated seeds, OP


SKU: 999
Price: $3.25 
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Snake gourd - Naga  - Product Image
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Snake gourd - Naga

 Excellent variety, very prolific, dark green fruit with white stripes 20-30 cm. long 2.8-3 cm. diameter, weight 60-80 grams. Fruit maturity is 55 days, resistance to insects.

 

Snake gourd seeds are considered difficult to germinate.  We recommend filing the sides of the seed coat with a nail file and soaking the seed in warm water overnight before sowing 1/2 in deep. 

U, Nh


SKU: 1000
Price: $3.25 
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Tinda Gourd - Jaya - Product Image
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Tinda Gourd - Jaya

(Praecitrullus fistulosus) Also known as apple gourd. The very tender and tasty fruit are flat round in shape and weight 3 to 4 ounces at harvest. Prolific vines grow 40 to 50 inches long and have hair on the stems and leaves. Flowering begins at 30 to 35 days and first harvest follows 15 to 20 days later. Prepared in India in a number of ways: cooked with curry or served with eggplant, peas, potatoes or other vegetables. Good source of Vitamin A.

Approx 20 seeds/pkg.

 

U, OP


SKU: 550
Price: $3.25 
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Tinda Hybrid - Green Ball - Product Image
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Tinda Hybrid - Green Ball

A hybrid variety that has round, darker green fruit than regular variety Jaya. 

A prolific yielder that is tender and tasty with delayed seed development.

Transports well.

T, Hy


SKU: 555
Price: $3.25 
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