BIRD HOUSE GOURDS are a wonderful Amish heirloom used to make bird houses of varying sizes from tiny wrens to large purple martin houses. Light green fruits with rounded necks and bowls range from 7-14" and are full of seeds. Once dried, can be decorated and given as gifts! Children are enchanted by this plant and its possibilities! Vigorous 15-35' vines and needs 100-120 days so give it plenty of time and room to grow! Easily trellised. 5 seeds.
HOW TO MAKE A GOURD BIRD HOUSE: Bird houses from gourds can last 30 years! When your gourd has reached its desired size on the vine harvest and let it dry completely in a protected place. Use a wire brush and sandpaper to clean the exterior then soak in a solution of 10% household bleach and water (be sure you use gloves during this process) and then place on clean surface and allow to dry. To make your entrance, you can use an expansion bit or hole saw slightly above the center of the gourd. Then clean out the inside of the gourd using a serrated knife with curved edge (a grapefruit knife is perfect) to break up the pith and seeds. To hang the gourd, drill two 1/4" holes at the stem to string a hanger. I recommend fishline as the strongest as most weather proof. Drill 4-5 holes using a 3/8" drill bit on the bottom and another 2-3 on the sides for drainage and ventilation. To finish the gourd: Sandpaper lightly with fine sandpaper and wipe clean. Brush on 2-3 coats of clear polyurethane to keep the natural finish and coloration or paint and decorate as you desire. Let it completely air-dry so no fumes are present, then hang from a sturdy branch. Each type of bird requires a different size hole and different placement of the bird house. A good resource on this is found at the Cornell Backyard Birdwatch site online.
CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM GARDEN SEEDS & PLANTS offer hundreds of heirloom and vintage open-pollinated varieties! Most have histories dating back centuries and are tried and true producers. Some are rare, or threatened with extinction. When you grow a plant from heirloom seed and save that seed, you are participating in a practice that goes back for generations. Our grandparents and their grandparents grew these varieties. Often the seeds were prized possessions carried to the New World when they emigrated.
Ever notice how most seed catalogs require you to buy (and pay for) much more seed than you could ever possibly use in a season? If you have a budget for garden seeds, this limits your choices! Although seeds can be viable for longer than one growing season, it requires that they be stored at a consistent temperature and humidity. Few of us do this. CherryGal sizes its seed packets for the home gardener, because we know you may want to grow 5 different lettuces, or three different corns, and don’t want to have to take out a second mortgage to do so! CHERRYGAL SEEDS ARE A TREMENDOUS BARGAIN!
All seeds offered are FRESH stock, with high germination rates. Varieties are specially selected for home gardeners. If you want the flavor you remember from grandma's kitchen garden or the beauty of her cottage flowers, choose CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM SEEDS.
ABOUT OPEN-POLLINATED SEEDS . . . All CherryGal Heirloom Seeds are heirlooms (dating at least 100 years) or vintage (mid-20th Century or older) OPEN-POLLINATED varieties. This means saved seed will be true to the parent. Don't be dazzled by the never-ending array of hybrid seeds promoted by gardening suppliers. First, seeds from that produce will not grow true to the parent -- you have to keep buying hybrid seed. Second, most hybrids are developed for market – not home -- growers with an emphasis on extended shelf life, storage and shipping qualities -- NOT flavor, texture and all those other elements that home growers seek.
All CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM SEEDS come from reputable growers (most of them small farms) and wherever possible ORGANIC suppliers (so noted). By buying CHERRYGAL SEEDS you are supporting the growing worldwide movement of SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE and with a little practice you will be able to save even more money in the future by growing open-pollinated varieties and saving seed for next year. Please Note: CherryGal Heirloom Seeds are guaranteed to be fresh stock, but are not guaranteed as to results (sorry - we wish we could, but there are too many variables in gardening) so please do not ask to return. However, we think you will be pleased and would like to hear about your gardening success!
SHIPPING: I endeavor to ship my seeds as quickly as possible - usually within 24 - 48 hours. If there is a need for more time, as in the case of resupply or early 2008 initial supply, you will be advised at time of purchase and shipped as soon as possible. In the event an item becomes unavailable or temporarily out of stock I will offer you a chance to substitute another selection or refund you immediately. I package my seeds for shipping in a manner appropriate to the amount and type of seed - larger orders and larger seeds require more packaging. I also combine multiple orders of the same seed variety, where practical, in one envelope unless you request otherwise. This is an ecological measure, not a cost-saving one.
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