Gourd, Luffa (luffa cylindrica) - 15 Seeds

Luffa Gourd (luffa cylindrica) - 15 Seeds

•Used to make luffa sponges
•Heirloom
•Non-GMO
•American grown seeds
•Annual
•USDA Zones: 6-10

Description:
The young fruit is eaten as a vegetable and is commonly grown for that purpose in tropical Asia. Unlike the young fruit, the fully ripened fruit is strongly fibrous and inedible, and is used to make scrubbing bath sponges. Due to the use as a scrubbing sponge, it is also known by the common names dishrag gourd, rag gourd, sponge gourd, and vegetable-sponge. It is also called smooth luffa to distinguish it from the ridged luffa (Luffa acutangula), which is used for the same purposes. An edible oil can be extracted from the seeds. The resulting oil meal can be fed to rabbits and catfish, or used as a fertilizer.

Growing Instructions:
Plant prefers full sun and rich soil, moderate watering. Soak seeds 24 hours prior to planting. This raises the moisture level and triggers the see that okay to grow. Start indoors 6-8 weeks before to get a jump on the season, or in zones 10 to 12, plant 3 seeds in the spring in a mound and thin to 3 best seedlings per mound, then trellis or grow on a fence. If started indoors, slowly introduce the seedlings to the outdoors over a week before transplanting to reduce the risk of shocking them.