Gourd birdhouses are a great way to replace natural habitat for many native songbirds. Many of these types of birds prefer to build their nests in the cavities of trees. In areas where trees are lost due to urban development and logging there are far fewer places for these birds to nest.
Birds actually will prefer to nest in a gourd over a manufactured birdhouse. The inside of the gourd, if some of the dried material and seeds are left, provides some nesting material and is much more natural than a plastic or resin type birdhouse.
Gourds can make very decorative birdhouses. They can be left natural by just cleaning off the loose skin and sanding the outside to make a very attractive rustic type birdhouse. On the other hand, gourds are very easy to decorate in just about any way that suits your fancy. Many artists love to work with gourds and designs can be handpainted on them, or by using woodburning tools, many beautiful decorations can be added to the gourds.
Birdhouse gourds are really very easy to grow and a lot of fun to decorate. Just one plant can produce 10 to 20 gourds in a nice variety of sizes and shapes. Keep in mind, though, that these are big gourds and grow on a fairly large vine, so you will need to have some space to grow them successfully. They grow quite well up a fence or arbor which would save some ground space.
Gourds are harvested in the fall after the vines have died down. They need to be stored in a dry area and left to finish drying and curing. This usually takes several months and you can tell when they are ready by shaking the gourd. If you can hear dry seeds rattling inside, they are cured and ready to be made into a birdhouse.
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