Ridge Gourd (Luffa acutangula) is a vigorous, open-pollinated variety valued for its tender, sweet-flavored fruits. The ridged, dark green, club-shaped gourds grow best with trellis or vertical support, ensuring healthy growth and abundant harvests. Harvest young (about 18 inches long) for cooking, or let them mature fully to produce natural loofah sponges. Easy to grow with proper warmth, Ridge Gourd is both a nutritious vegetable and a multipurpose garden crop.
This excellent open-pollinated variety is cultivated for its fruit, which has a tender texture and sweet flavor. The vigorous plant produces a heavy fruit set of ridged, dark green, club-shaped fruits. Ridge Gourd requires a long, warm growing season. It can be grown in a deep planter or over an archway for a stunning spectacle. The fruit can develop into a fibrous structure and be used for a shower or kitchen sponge.
How to Grow Ridge Gourd
Seed Preparation:
– Increase germination rate by soaking seeds in warm water for 24 hours.
– Optionally, clip the tip of the seed to aid germination.
Planting:
– For hill planting: Mold soil into one-foot diameter piles, about 3.5 feet tall.
– Space mounds 4-6 feet apart.
– Sow two seeds in each mound.
– For row planting, follow the spacing guidance in the attributes tab.
Support:
– Grow Ridge Gourd next to an obelisk or trellis.
– Vertical growth promotes air circulation, reduces diseases, and supports consistent fruiting.
– Prune stems during the season to maintain a single vertical vine.
Pollination:
– Hand pollination can aid fruit onset.
– Provide extra time for development by removing the first few blooms in climates with a long growing season.
Harvesting Ridge Gourd
– For cooking, harvest Ridge gourds when firm, uniformly green, about 18 inches long, and 2 inches in diameter.
– For obtaining shower loofa or sponge, leave gourds on the plant until brown and dry, then break open the skin and shake out the seeds.
Culinary Tips
– Young edible gourds are best for cooking.
– Try stir-frying or deep-frying any part of the plant.
Tips From Gardeners
– If you’ve successfully grown cucumbers, Gourd will be easy.
– The fruit is underutilized in Western cuisine, so give it a try!
Note: The information provided is based on the details given, and specific growing conditions may influence actual results.