How to Preserve Decorative Gourds to Last Longer

How to Preserve Decorative Gourds to Last Longer will give you the tips and techniques that will help keep these gorgeous fruits stay around just a little bit longer.

If you’re looking for more ideas to celebrate fall, Simple Ways to Decorate Your Home with Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds and 21 Ways to Make Your Home Cozy this Fall will help you on your journey.

How to Preserve Decorative Gourds to Last Longer - A variety of Gourds with Fall Leaves — How to Preserve Decorative Gourds to Last Longer

If you properly dry your gourds and seal them, they can last for years. Each gourd is truly a work of art, and decorating your home with these amazing gifts from nature can add a rustic touch to any home.

They come in so many different colors, shapes and textures, that they give your fall display the wow factor when mixed with other fall abundance.

The first fruits are ready late summer, so you want to start curing them as soon as you harvest so they stay gorgeous throughout the season.

Use gourds in all your fall displays by placing them in baskets, adding them to your mantel, using them as a table runner, or decorating your front porch with them.

“Autumn…the year’s loveliest last smile.”
William Cullen Bryant

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How to Preserve Gourds - Gourd and Mini Pumpkins — How to Preserve Gourds – Gourd and Mini Pumpkins

Here’s How to Preserve Decorative Gourds to Last Longer:

1. Choosing the Gourds

The stem starts to shrivel and turn brown when the gourd is ready.

Look over each gourd and make sure there isn’t any damage to the skin and that it’s firm to the touch.

When you cut the stem, allow a few inches of stem to be attached to the gourd. The stem helps keep the gourd healthy while you are curing it.

2. Soap and Water

Clean the gourds with soap and water to remove any soil or bacteria that is attached to the skin.

3. Bleach Bath

You should give your gourds a bleach bath after removing the soil. Doing so eliminates bacteria that cause the rotting.

For your bleach bath you mix one gallon of water with one tablespoon of bleach in a bucket. Add gourds to the bucket for a few minutes.

4. Dry Gourds

Dry off each gourd with a towel.

You will want to find a warm, dry, shaded place to cure your gourds. Pick a spot that has good ventilation, like an attic.

Shade will keep the gourd’s color intake and heat will help with the drying process.

Place pieces of cardboard down or newspapers on a flat surface and place gourds on top of it, making sure none of the gourds touch.

Turn the gourds often. You know they will be cured when you can shake the gourd and hear the seeds rattle.

Smaller gourds will dry in a few weeks, and larger gourds can take up to one year to dry.

5. Seal the gourds

You can display the gourds with the natural look or add paste wax, shellac or acrylic varnish for that glossy look.

We’ve reached the end of How to Preserve Decorative Gourds to Last Longer. I hope you enjoyed it!

Let me know in the comments below how you like to decorate your home with gourds.