BirdHouse Gourds Clarified

Birdhouse gourds make wonderful substitutes for a songbird’s normal habitat. Songbird’s usually build nests in the cavities of trees they are able to locate. Due to the spread of the human population and urbanization these places are now becoming few and far between, and therefore constructing a birdhouse gourd can guarantee that the birds nevertheless have a place to nest.

Birdhouse Gourds outweigh Human Bird Houses

Birds seem to prefer to make their nests in birdhouse gourds rather than in bird houses constructed by humans. It is a good idea to put some dry materials and seeds inside the birdhouse gourd which helps the gourd feel more natural.

You can make a bird house constructed from a gourd just as attractive as normal decorative bird house. Sometimes these houses even look prettier as they have a more rural feel about them. Some artists even add beautiful hand painted patterns to the gourd to make it more attractive.

Using just one plant can create anywhere from ten to twenty gourds of various sizes and shapes. You need to bear in mind that a gourd may actually grow in size over time on larger vines, so you need to make sure they are spaced far enough apart to allow for this.

After the fall when the vines start to lose their leaves is the best time to gather the birdhouse gourds. You should then leave them to dry out. This usually takes a few months and you can tell when they are fully dried out as you will begin to hear the noises of the dry seeds rattling inside the gourds.

There are some great resources worth using if you want to grow birdhouse gourds. You should look for advice on how to grow bottle gourds that you can grow on fences rather than vines. These can be harvested as normal and create brilliant nests for many species of birds.