How To Harvesting Loofah Gourds; Loofah Sponges

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Harvesting Loofah Plant Gourds

After a season of growing a loofah plant I find harvesting loofah gourds exciting!

But I have to admit the most exciting part of the harvest is harvesting the sponge! More on that later.

Loofah plants are best grown on a sturdy fence or some type of trellis.

I started my loofah plants from seed indoors March 17, 2019 and transferred them outdoors May 5, 2019. If you are interested in growing loofah sponges see my article on How To Grow Loofah Sponges.

End of Growing Season

Depending on which Plant Hardiness Zone area you live, towards the end of the season, like late summer, the loofah plant may begin to look stressed like the photo below. If you can, leave the gourds on the vines until ready to harvest.

Loofah gourds can be left on the vine to dry until ready to harvest unless you live in an area where temperature drop below freezing.

Since loofah plants are a tropical plant they will not tolerate cold temperatures.

Therefore, if you live in an area that calls for frost it will be necessary to harvest the gourds before they have a chance to dry on the vine.

I live in Zone 6 and am unable to leave the gourds on the vine to dry so I will be sharing my experience.

Inspecting Loofah Plants

The loofah plant grows vigorously during the hot summer months and may not produce fruit until the later part of the season.

I check on my plants quite often and am always very surprised when I come across a large gourd. This loofah gourd was nearly 17″ long.

Gourds Buried In The Foliage

Don’t be surprised if you come across some hidden gourds. It is bound to happen.

I wish all my gourds were this size. The large gourds make nice loofah sponges.

Harvesting Loofah Gourds

If you live in a warm climate like Zones 8 through 12 you can leave the gourds on the vine until they dry out.

I can’t say how long it takes for the gourds to dry out while still on the vine because I live in Zone 6.

We usually have a frost or freezing temperatures as early as mid to late October therefore, I have to harvest the gourds early. Or, at least before temperatures drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit even if it is for one night.

Tools Needed For Harvesting Loofah Gourds

Sturdy ladder
Wagon or wheelbarrow
Bypass Pruner’s

If you are harvesting gourds from a trellis you may need a ladder and a wagon to carry the gourds back to the house.

Be very careful when harvesting the gourds. Use the pruners to cut the stem of the gourd away from the vine.

Gently place the gourd on the ground or in the wagon. Never drop or toss the gourd on the ground as it may just snap and break in half.

These are all the gourds I got from two loofah vines on the trellis. The smaller gourds are not ideal for sponges as they are not mature enough.

I do encourage you to go ahead and keep the smaller gourds for the first year’s pickings just so you can see how they turn out.

You see, the smaller gourds could be used for cooking. I have not tried that yet but for my second year I definitely will. I’ll be sure to post a recipe when I do.

Drying Loofah Gourds

The next step is to dry the loofah’s. I placed a piece of brown builders paper on top of a table and then placed the gourds on top of the paper to dry for several months. Maybe three months at the most.

Be sure there is good ventilation or the gourds may get moldy. You may want to consider having a fan blowing on or near them just for that reason.

When I placed these gourds on the table in October they were all green. The majority of the gourds were dried by January. So, how long it takes for them to dry? It really depends on the moisture content of the gourds. But three months is about how long it took my gourds to dry.

When the gourds are dry it is time to make sponges!

The gourds are very brittle so take care not to squish them or they will break.

I do encourage you to shake them and you will hear all the seeds inside.

Remove Seeds

I recommend removing the seed before moving to the next step.

Gently pull ends off both ends of dried gourds and shake out as many seeds as possible and set aside.

Place gourds in a tub of tap water (a sink works well too) until the skins pull away easily. This may take 15-25 minutes.

Gently remove skin from loofah and discard. Place loofah sponge aside and continue removing the rest of the skins.

Note: While removing the skins from the smaller loofah’s it may be necessary to cut the undeveloped ends off. Those will end up being little sponges. Wink Wink!

Inside the sponge there may still be seeds. Just leave them be.

If the sponges are too dark to your liking you can place them in the tub of water and spray them with a little Clorox Clean-up, let them soak for about 5 minutes and then rinse well with tap water.

Arrange loofah sponges in an area where they can be dried out completely before storing.

Tip: Save the seeds for your next years planting.

Uses For Loofah Sponges

What I like best about using a loofah sponge is that it is all N-A-T-U-R-A-L!

It’s so natural that when you are done with it you can toss it in the compost and give it back to our Earth!

So what can you use a loofah sponge on?

Use it in the shower or tub as a scrub brush to exfoliate your skin
Be crafty and make pretty DIY soaps with slices of dried loofah sponges
Use them in the kitchen to clean dishes
Use loofah sponges on anything you would use scrub brushes on
Possibilities are endless

Photo of soap with the natural sponge (loofah sponge)

How To Get Seeds

If you are wanting to grow your own loofah plants you’re in luck as I can offer my heirloom seeds to you!

Seeds are carefully packaged in a zip-lock baggie and shipped standard mail within 2 business days after payment. Check out my on-line store to get your seeds here.