This last year as I have been working on gourds I have been saving their seeds. A month or so ago I began to till the soil in the back corner of the yard. I hauled up a bin of horse poop and mixed that in and then watered the heck out of it. It was very helpful that we had some rain also. Then when worms began to appear where previously there were none, I figured that the soil was probably ready for the gourd seeds. My friend Laurie and I called them "the babies."

That first planting I planted 60 something seeds. Then I got antsy and dug some more holes and planted more seeds. More babies. A week ago, the babies began to peek up above the soil. The first leaves which came up were about the same size as the actual seed. That's how I knew that they were for real and not just another weed. As of today there are 24 babies. Two of them are working on their second set of leaves, the real leaves.

Yesterday I couldn't stand it and dug a trench in another part of the yard. And planted 10 more seeds. I am so curious as to what is going to happen. It can take up to a year before the gourds themselves are ready to be harvested. So I'm in this for the long haul. In the meanwhile I will just paint and woodburn, and cut and design the gourds that I have already.