Loofah Update!

I've mentioned before that I started a new gardening experiment that I've been thinking about for quite a while... growing loofahs!

Now, last time I posted, they were just sprouting from little seeds. But now, NOW, they are really something to see. As soon as I planted them, they started growing like gangbusters, so I got a little 3 foot trellis. They got so giant, they way overgrew it and started trying to invade the apartment (see exhibit A).

So, I got a much bigger trellis (7 ft tall) and when I stretched the plant out, it was basically big enough for it already! Just has to fill out a bit. There are even some little things that might be going to turn into flowers, but this thing sprouts leaves and tendrils so fast its hard to tell!

( so tall! although there is some leaf issue at the bottom I'm trying to figure out)

I'm extremely excited about how this whole thing is panning out, that much is for sure. If you're wondering what that is off to the left, it is my famous little lime tree who is doing spectacularly well, and produced these little beauties with many more on the way!

A dream realized... growing Loofahs!

A few years (YEARS, omg) ago, I posted about my newest fun fact, which is that loofahs are not in fact under water sponges or something equally mysterious, but are actually a fruit that grows on a vine! Once I found that out, I just had to grow them. Fortunately, given our recent container gardening success (and trust me you've only seen the tip of the iceberg on that), my co-gardener across the city surprised me with some loofah seeds! (which, as with everything these days, you can get on amazon).

I have no experience with seeds. All my other plants arrived as little baby plants from Home Depot. So, I was a little apprehensive. Ever the scientist, I decided to do an experiment. I took 6 seeds, and soaked them all overnight in a cup of water. 

I then took 3 seeds, and planted them in little pots of wet dirt. The other 3 I put between 2 layers of wet paper towel, inside of a little plastic container from Trader Joes (like veggies and salads come in), which I left outside like a greenhouse.

After a few days, the paper towel group clearly had little roots! Once the roots were pretty big, I planted each one in a little pot (I wanted the pots to be little so that when I moved them to the big pot, I could just take all the dirt along with them).

Actually though, in the end, they all sprouted. So, my fabulous experiment can't reveal any greater truths about seed germination. But do I care? Not at all. Because what do I have? A WHOLE LOTTA LOOFAH!

 It may be a bit late in the season (although California stays warm fairly late). And, I have no idea if it'll work, but oooooh boy, am I ever pumped up about this.

News Flash: You Can Grow Loofahs in Your Yard

I learned this the other day and to me, this is nothing less than mind blowing. You know loofahs, the things you scrub with in the shower? You might have thought they were a sea sponge, or something similar, right? Oh no, my friend. A luffah is a tropical vine that bears a fruit that can be eaten, or dried and turned into a shower sponge.

I know, I know, how bizarre is that?

If you don't believe me, here is a picture of the fruit, lifted from wikipedia...
Apparently, you can get the seeds, plant them, and it grows as a vine. After they mature, you can harvest them, remove the fleshy part of the fruit, and dry the rest. I found step by step instructions here at Groovy Green (which also has some interesting instructions on things like making a compost heated shower- an idea I was slightly less enthusiastic about).

I guess you learn something new every day!