Tips for Turning a Gourd
into a Birdhouse
by Faith Wright-Draper aka
"byfaithonly"
Turning a gourd into a birdhouse can be a long
drawn out process depending on to what extent you
want to take the process. If you plan to or are
growing gourds to use as birdhouses don’t
get too excited – you may have many months
ahead of you. From seed to birdhouse can actually
take as much as a year or more.
First you will want to obtain seeds for your
gourds, plant them, tend to them and wait for
them to grow (the plants and the gourds). Most
gourds that work well for birdhouses take from 2
to 3 months to mature. Make the most of this time
and enjoy watching the attractive vines spread
over your fence or trellis. You can grow them on
the ground but the birdhouse gourds develop a
nicer shape if grown on climbing vines.
What ever you do don’t pick your gourds
until the vines have died off. It is best if
possible to wait until that first fall frost.
There are two reasons for doing this. First the
gourds will continue to mature and grow in size
as long as the vine is supporting it. Second it
is much easier to find your mature gourds which
can become almost invisible in the large lush
green leaves of the plant.
Don’t get too excited once the vines die off
though – the steps of taking your gourd from
living thing to birdhouse is still several months
away. If there is any dirt on your gourds you
will need to clean that off and let the gourds
dry in the sun for a couple days. This is a very
important step. The gourds must be dry before
going into the next phase.
Now you must find a dark, dry, cool, well
ventilated area where the gourds can be stored
for several months to a year. This time mainly
depends how dry the area is and how thick the
skin is on your gourds. The ideal gourds for
birdhouses are a thick skinned gourd. This is
necessary for the birdhouse to hold up in
exposure to the weather.
During the drying period you will want to inspect
them at least once every week or two. You should
be checking for any gourds that are rotting;
through these out, they will not be able to be
used for birdhouses. You will also want to
inspect for unwanted guest such as mice who love
to borrow into the gourds and make a home for
themselves. You will also want to check the
drying process – you will know your gourds
are dry when you shake the gourd and the seeds
rattle inside. Until that happens they are not
ready to be birdhouses.
Once you hear the seeds rattling inside then you
start the real work. First you will need to clean
the gourds. During the drying process you will
have noticed mold growing on the outside of the
gourds as well as a flaky thin outer shell. All
of this needs to be cleaned off. The best way to
do this is called elbow grease. Soak the gourds
in water for just a minute and then use either
steel wool or a copper scrub pad and start
scrubbing. You want the outside to be clean and
smooth.
After the gourds are clean then you will need to
let them dry again – this step should only
take a day or so though as you should have only
left them in the water for a minute. Now you can
start actually turning the gourd into a birdhouse
by drilling holes into it.
On the face of the gourd you will want an opening
for the birds to enter their new home –
depending on the type of bird you want to attract
or what you have in your area this hole can be
any where’s from 1 inch diameter to 3
inches. Once you have your entrance you will want
to clean out the seeds as well as the dried
innards of the gourd. You can save your seeds to
plant next year and discard the rest.
You will also need to drill two holes in the top
of the gourd. This is for your hanger, wire,
cord, straps, or rope all work nicely.
You’ll want the holes just large enough to
accommodate the hanger. At the same time you will
need to drill 3-4 small holes in the bottom of
the gourd. These holes are so any water that may
get inside the birdhouse can drain out giving the
birds a dry home.
Now you can paint, varnish, or stain your gourd
however you desire. Some people prefer the
natural design of the gourd shell while others
paint elaborate seines on them. Rumor has it the
birds actually prefer the natural option but the
fancy ones are attractive hanging in the yard.
If you don’t want to go through the entire
process you can find gourds that are excellent
for turning into birdhouses that are at different
stages; raw, dried, dried and cleaned.
That’s about it, string your hanger and find
a location for your new birdhouse. Some gourd
birdhouses have been known to last for many years
and provide homes for many generations of birds.
| Faith Wright-Draper (aka
byfaithonly) has been writing for over 40
years as a journalist, ghostwriting, and
freelancing. She currently writes for
several blogs, freelances, and on her own
website www.byfaithonly.com
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