Glorious Gourds

Judi Fleming, president of the North Carolina Gourd Society, fell in love with gourds after realizing the wide variety of art she could create with them.

About 30 years ago, Summerfield artist Judi Fleming found herself with free time between two errands. Since she was too far away to return home, she decided to visit a local event: a gourd festival. Judi never made it to her second errand.

“I was hooked,” she confesses. “I will do art in any medium, and you can do anything with gourds — painting, sculpture, musical instruments, basket weaving. That’s why I like gourds so much!”

Noting that art supplies aren’t cheap, she adds, “With gourds you can grow your own canvas. It’s very inexpensive art.”

Gourds are grown for food, but only the smaller, ornamental varieties. Besides food and art, gourds are also utilitarian. They can be crafted into bowls, dippers, banjos and other musical instruments. Small egg-shaped gourds can even be put in chicken coops to encourage young hens to lay or to direct hens to nesting boxes.

Growing gourds

Gourds range in size from an inch or two in diameter to giant African varieties that are 80 inches in diameter. The main types you’ll find are ornamental gourds; bottle gourds — large, inedible hardshell varieties; snake gourds, which can be made into instruments like didgeridoos; and luffa or loofah, which can be peeled and used as sponges.

Judi says there is only one gourd variety that is native to the U.S., the colorful Cucurbita types sold in supermarkets alongside squash and often used for fall décor. The many other varieties were all brought here as seeds by settlers from various countries.

“All gourds grow on vines, and some vines can grow as tall as 100 feet on trellises. You need space to grow gourds, and it’s a lot of work,” Judi explains.

Gourd vines can be left on the ground instead of being attached to a trellis. The disadvantage is that each gourd will develop a flat side where it rests on the ground. Artists who want perfectly round gourds need those grown on trellises.

Artistic demand

John C. Campbell Folk School

Before gourds can be used for art they must be allowed to dry out. The only thing required for that process is time. And if you ever come across a seemingly old pile of moldy gourds, those aren’t trash, they’re treasure. The mold that forms on the outside of the gourd helps to draw out the inside moisture, Judi explains.

“When you shake a gourd and hear the seeds inside rattle, then you know it is completely dry. You scrub off the mold, let the outside dry and then it’s ready for art.”

The larger the gourd, the longer it will take to dry out. The smallest gourds will dry in 40 days. Middle sized ones take about 100 days to grow and three months to dry. Large gourds take approximately 140 days to reach maturity and up to two years to dry.

Since there are more gourd artists than gourd growers, a market exists for pre-dried gourds. Gourd growers who want to reach these buyers often sell their ready-for-art gourds at festivals and fairs.

Recently retired from her government job, Judi donates some of her gourd art to benefit Red Dog Farm Animal Rescue Network in Stokesdale. She can’t keep up with demand for her gourd birdhouses.

“They’re designed to be used by North Carolina’s most common songbirds,” she notes.

While established gourd artists sell their work through their own websites or at arts and crafts shows, art galleries offer a select high-end market for some artists. Judi says the record price for a gourd work of art is $35,000. The North Carolina artist uses semi-precious and precious stones in her art.

 

Endless possibilities

For those interested in meeting gourd growers, artists and general enthusiasts, North Carolina has several resources. The North Carolina Gourd Society, of which Judi serves as president, was established in Cary in 1937 as the first gourd society in the country and the “alpha” chapter of the American Gourd Society.

The society hosts the annual North Carolina Gourd Arts and Crafts Festival, which in 2025 will be held Sept. 6–7 at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh. (This year’s theme is “Happy Holidays” — visit ncgourdsociety.org for the latest information and vendor applications.)

Another event, the Gourd Gathering, will be held May 28–June 1 in Waynesville. Judi notes that it will have 94 classes, mostly instructive, not competitive.

Other classes can be found year-round, including at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Cherokee County. As The Folk School affirms: “With gourds, possibilities are as endless as your imagination.”