How to Prepare Gourds for Martin Houses

Choose the largest bottle gourd available that it is at least 9 inches in diameter with thick walls. The blemishes and the shape of the gourd do not matter to the birds. Cut the gourd from the withered vine with pruning shears, leaving the stem attached to the gourd.

Disinfect your gourd by washing it with soap and water and then washing it with a mixture of bleach and water. Use 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.

Dry your gourd by hanging it in a sunny location that has good ventilation. If you do not have a place to hang it, place it on a piece of newspaper. It will take three to six months to dry.

Check your gourd weekly. If mold begins to grow, wash it thoroughly with the mixture of bleach and water. When you can hear the seeds rattle inside when it is shaken, it is cured and ready to become a birdhouse. If the gourd becomes soft and wrinkled, throw it out.

Soak your gourd in warm soapy water for 30 minutes to loosen the residue that has formed while curing. Clean the skin by sanding with #100 sandpaper. Let your gourd dry thoroughly.

Choose a side of the gourd to become the front. Drill a 2 1/8-inch hole for the entrance. It should be about 1/3 from the bottom of the gourd. Insert a long handled spoon or a coat hanger in the hole to clean out the residue from inside of the gourd.

Measure 2 inches down from the top of the gourd and drill a 5/16-inch hole on the right and left side of the gourd. Using the same drill bit, drill seven holes, spaced 2 inches apart, on the bottom of the gourd for drainage.

Submerge your gourd in a conventional wood preservative for 15 minutes. Do this in a well ventilated space and wear protective gloves. Let your gourd dry for several days.

Apply a coat of latex primer. After this coat dries, apply two coats of white latex exterior paint.

Thread a piece of twine through the two holes that you have drilled at the top of the gourd. Knot the twine so you have a loop. Hang your gourd from a pole or a tree.