|
It's harvest time at Northern Dipper
The time has finally arrived. Everything from Minis to Bushels are coming out of the field in the next week. At this time of year the selection is the best so stock up! For more information on dried gourds click here
The effects of the war are still very evident. It is reported that 75% of the land is owned by 5% of the population. The result has been a large group of campesinos (peasants) that are well beyond our concept of poverty that struggle daily for existence. Since the war ended considerable funding & expertise has been provided by Non Government Organizations (NGO’s) to help the poor of On my first adventure to This was my first trip to view our first gourd plantations in Nine months later in March 2005 I returned to view our harvested crop. Things had not gone well. Poor germination, too much or not enough rain, language & cultural differences, all added up to first year start up headaches. As this was my second trip, I was accustomed to the terrain and people involved in the project. I didn’t know what to expect for numbers and quality and everyone was a little apprehensive. In all about 4,000 tecomates were grown. After quality control only 2,000 were approved. This was far less than I had expected & not anywhere close to filling a container. At one point I considered just licking my wounds & walking away. My experience has taught me that business is all about developing quality relationships & throughout our many long discussions, which it appears is the norm in Sometimes we all do things that make us feel good & as I left For a great article on Gourd growing - getting started SCHEDULE – This is based on our planting season here in Do not plant your seedlings outside until all danger of frost has passed.
Get your seeds started now if you haven’t started them yet. It is important that gourd seeds have an early start as hard shell gourds take between 100 – 140 frost- free days to mature. Minis gourds (Mini Bottle, White Egg & White Ball) only take 70 days so they can be planted out May 24 from seed in most areas. An early start will result in strong seedlings, which will result in a higher success rate as well as being less tempting to insects and other pests as well. Soak the seeds for 24 hours before you plant them to soften them up. Three - inch peat pots work well. The beauty of peat pots is that they are planted directly into the ground. This lessons the shock that some plants suffer when being transplanted. Fill the pots with good seedling mix, (available at nurseries or garden centers) water well and press down. Place 2 seeds approximately 1/2” deep per pot. Top up with soil and lightly water. Place in a sunny window and keep the soil moist. On gray days you may not have to water at all while on sunny hot days you may have to give them a secondary light watering in the afternoon. Cover your peat pots with plastic wrap or a plastic bag and allow for air entry. Once your seeds start to germinate remove the plastic. Gourd seeds take anywhere from 1 – 3 weeks to come up. The first leaves that come up are not true leaves but cotyledons. Soon after the first true leaves will appear. Start giving the seedlings a weak formula of fertilizer and water. The seedlings will grow rapidly and the next question will be where should they be planted? Should they be trellising or ground-grown? What are the pros and cons of location? Wherever you choose to plant just remember gourds need full sun. Trellising takes up less room but your structure must be very strong, as some green gourds can weigh 20 – 40 lbs. Either a wooden structure or even a chain link fence acts as a great trellis. On the ground gourds like to spread out so make certain you have the room. They can be planted in rows or in hills similar to pumpkins with approximately 8’ between hills or rows & 4’ between plants. A couple of weeks before planting spread out black garbage bags to warm the soil. Use soil or rocks to keep the edges secure. Plastic keeps the weeds at bay as well as keeping the moisture in. Keep in mind that the 3 most important factors to gourd growing are: 1.) Full sun 2.) Rich, well fertilized soil 3.) Plenty of water At Northern Dipper: We have planted our greenhouse and have had an excellent & quick germination rate in most varieties. A couple of varieties are just starting to poke through. Due to the cold wet weather & lack of sun we have had to keep the heater on some days and every night. We have laid the plastic in the field and now are moving on to harvesting last summers crop.
*** An excellent reference guide to growing gourds is GOURDS IN YOUR GARDEN by Ginger Summit. It is thorough and covers a large variety of subjects. It is perfect for the home gardener. For information on this book click here
TOOL INFO - Jigsaws for gourd crafting We use three of the more popular gourd jig saws. Each has good points and bad. The most powerful of the three is the Proxxon. Made in The biggest drawback was the flat plate on the bottom of the saw. It made it difficult to see the cutting blade and it was impossible to get close to the contours of many gourds we work with. Proxxon, listening to their customers, and competition, has developed a new cutting shoe that fixes all the problems listed above. You simply remove the flat metal plate by removing one screw, insert the rounded cutting shoe and put the screw back in. You now have a powerful jigsaw that can go anywhere, staying close to the work, with full visibility. It is larger than the other jig saws but has twice the cutting speed in thick gourds. With the original flat plate reinstalled they are great for cutting plywood & metal. All new saws come with this attachment. If you have bought a saw from Northern Dipper then contact us and we will fix you up. For more information click here Our next issue of Tool Fever will cover the absolute beauty of footwitches
Tutorial: Pine needle gourd top & middle rimmed This tutorial was written by JENNIFER HENRY, an Jennifer will be teaching PINE NEEDLE & TWINING RIMS at Northern Dipper Farm on Saturday June 25, 2005. For information on this workshop and others click here
You Will Need
Hard shell gourd Pine Needles (soaked) Tapestry Needle Waxed linen, artificial sinew, raffia Straw (this is the gauge for the pine needles) Leather dye Procedures: Select gourd (I tend to use gourds that are smaller) Clean gourd Mark gourd where top will be cut off. Cut off top and clean out inside of gourd (sand if necessary) Mark holes at top of gourd (approximately ½” from the edge and about ¾”-1” apart) Mark a line where you want the middle pine needle rim to be placed (I do is a little more than half way from the bottom of the gourd or what looks pleasing to the eye) Mark holes at this centre line mark, however please note that these holes will be a zigzag pattern (not directly under each other). Example: (the dots are holes to be drilled, line is where pine needle rim will lay) . . . . . . . .
Drill all holes. At this point you may want to put some designs on your gourd (i.e. wood burn) If you woodburn the gourd remember to clean the gourd after. Dye both top half of gourd and dye bottom half of gourd with leather dyes (I use 2 different colours, 1 for the top and the other for the bottom). Where the 2 different colours of dye meet in the middle is where middle the row of pine needles will be placed. Once the dye is dry, wax gourd using a paste floor wax. Thread tapestry needle with artificial sinew, waxed linen or raffia. Thread length is about 1 ½ to 2 arms length—measure from nose to arm) Thread is not doubled. Knot thread at 1 end with about a 4-5” tail (you may have to knot several times as you want the knot bigger than the holes) Bring needle starting from inside of gourd to the outside of the gourd. You will be working to the right Place thick end of pine needles on top of gourd (use straw as a guide for thickness). These pine needles should not be flush at the starting hole but be staggered. (Meaning some of the needles should be started over a hole or 2 to the left of the starting hole—somewhat tapered). Take threaded needle and go over pine needles, over top of lip of gourd and bring needle back to inside of gourd and out next hole to the right of the first hole. Continue all the way around. You may have to add more needles to keep a continuous length. Insert needles at regular intervals if you are using caps as a pattern. If bundle of pine needles gets too thick from adding needles, cut off needles at the back of the bundle. When you want to end the coiling, you don’t add any more pine needles. You just let the pine needles run out. Continue stitching until there are no more needles. Tie ends together on inside of gourd. For the centre row of pine needles: Thread tapestry needle with artificial sinew, waxed linen or raffia. Thread length is about 1 ½ to 2 arms length—measure from nose to arm) Thread is not doubled. Knot thread at 1 end with about a 4-5” tail (you may have to knot several times as you want the knot bigger than the holes) Bring needle starting from inside of gourd to the outside of the gourd at one of the holes above the centre line. You will be working to the right Lay pine needles on centre line between the 2 sets of staggered holes. Again pine needles should be a little staggered Stitch over pine needle bundle down the hole below the centre line and back up the next hole over the pine needle row. Continue this pattern all the way around. As you come to meet the centre row of pine needles stitch the needles down. You can also stitch backwards to complete an “X” on the middle row of stitching. Tie ends together on inside of gourd. Cut ends of sinew, waxed linen, etc. Trim any lose pine needles. Other things to keep in mind
Wear safety glasses and respirator when cleaning, opening, sanding, or drilling gourds Pre-soak pine needles prior to using (breakage could occur if pine needles aren’t soaked) You may want to cut caps off of pine needle bundles for a smooth effect or leave caps on for a patterned effect Pine needles can be dyed with Rit dyes.
Enjoy making a beautiful decorated gourd.
|
|
