How to Dry Out Gourds and Keep Them For Decorations

Do you ever buy gourds when you buy your pumpkins in the fall?  Do you hate having to throw out rotting pumpkins and gourds to make way for the next holiday?  Well, here is how to dry out gourds and keep them for decorations for years down the road.  You’ll have to throw out the rotting pumpkins, though.

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HOW TO DRY OUT GOURDS

STEP ONE: BUY SOME GOURDS

Buy some great looking gourds in October and use them with your fall decorations.

STEP TWO: PUT GOURDS OUTSIDE

Move them outside when your pumpkins begin to rot in November.

STEP THREE: PLACE THEM ON AN ELEVATED SURFACE

Place them on an elevated surface where they will get air circulating around them.  I placed mine on two large rocks we have in the backyard.  I would not put them directly on the ground.  You could even put some twine around the stem and hang them in a tree or from your fence if you didn’t have a flat surface to put them on.

STEP FOUR: LEAVE THEM ALONE UNTIL SPRING

Leave them alone until the spring or summer.  We did have a mild winter here in Texas, so this might not be the best plan if you expect lots of snow.  If that’s the case, I would suggest storing them in the garage or shed or a dry place.

STEP FIVE: SPRAY PAINT YOUR DRY GOURDS

Spray paint them a fun color and use them in your yard or garden for an added pop of color.

What a great investment.  I got to use these in the fall and summer in different ways.  This fall when you are pumpkin shopping, consider buying some gourds to go with them.  When your pumpkins are rotten, your gourds will still be going strong.

While you are outside with your spray paint, check out how you can spray paint your outdoor cushions here.  Also, don’t miss this quick and easy idea about filling up those large planters right here.

You might also like this fun pumpkin painting idea here or this pumpkin decorating idea here.

I used this spray paint in apple.  Here is another project I did using the same color on some chairs I reupholstered that you can see here.

UPDATE TO MY GARDEN ART

Yes, I still have the wagon wheel rim I rescued from the trash years ago, but sadly, my vine is no more. Since this post we have completely redone our backyard including the pool and flower beds. My Jasmine vine didn’t make it, but my wagon wheel rim found a terrific new home. To see how I combined it with my planter and gourds to make a focal point at the end of my deck, check out Large Planter Updated.