How to Grow a Luffa Gourd

Growing luffa, or loofah, gourds is a good gardening project for families: a hands-on demonstration of how unique and useful plants can be. The very fibrous vascular system of the fruit -- all that remains when the skin, seeds and flesh are removed -- becomes an exfoliating sponge that can be used in the bath once cleaned and dried. According to Georgia's Cobb County Extension, when luffa fruits are small -- 6 inches or less -- they are tasty when cooked like summer squash or used in soups and stews. The luffa gourd is closely related to cucumbers and melons and has similar cultivation requirements.

Well-composted manure and other compost
Shovel
Luffa seeds
Peat pots, optional
Planting soil, optional
Trowel
Pine straw, shredded leaves or grass clippings

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a planting area in full sun, preferably a spot along an existing fence or other support, to provide your luffa vines with something to climb.
- 2
  Prepare the planting area in spring. Cultivate the soil to a depth of 12 inches. Work several inches of composted manure and other compost into the top 6 inches.
- 3
  Plant luffa seeds in spring after all danger of frost is past and when the soil is thoroughly warm, at least 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. You can also start luffa seeds in peat pots several weeks earlier, to get a head start on the growing season. Nick luffa seeds with a knife and soak them in warm water for 48 hours for better germination.
- 4
  Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep and at least 12 inches apart along a fence or other sturdy support. If you prefer to grow them in a hill without support, plant three or four seeds in each hill, and space hills 4 to 6 feet apart. Water the planting area thoroughly. Luffas may take two weeks to sprout.
- 5
  Mulch the area above and near roots with several inches of pine straw, shredded leaves, dried grass clippings or other organic mulch when seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall.
- 6
  Remove each vine's first four lateral branches to support stronger fruit.

Annuals That Reseed Themselves in Zone 8B

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Growing Annuals