Any of you ever grown your own loofahs?

I found this link http://www.luffa.info/
but wanted your input too. I just want to know when to pick the gourds and what to do to get then nice shower scrubby things.

I grow luffas every year. I let them dry on the vine, and then I just squeeze them to break up the dried skin and peel it off. Be sure to wear gloves while doing this - the dried skin can cut your hands. Also, be sure to save the seeds inside - there's tons of them. I just immerse them in a sink of warm, soapy water and let them dry out - then use them for all kinds of things....in the shower, at the kitchen sink to wash pots and pans, etc.

Yes, we've grown them. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we hope to grow them next year. We handle them pretty much the same way Aunt Honey does. I would be tempted to grow them for their lovely large bright yellow flowers and lush vines, but the gourds are quite useful. They seem to tolerate heat well, and don't seem to need much pampering. The only caution would be they seem to need a long-ish growing season, and if you wish to grow them, you may need to start them indoors early.

DD#2 makes homemade soap - luffas make good molds to pour homemade M&P soap directly into; slices can even be wet down first and bent into shapes. Luffa can also be shredded and added to soaps as a scrubbing particle. When my old backscrubber loofah wears out, we saw off an appropriate piece and glue it on the flat part of the backscrubber. Luffas can also be used to make bird and small animal toys/chews. We use them to scrub vehicles with, and they also get soap scum off the shower walls with less scrubbing. I am hoping they will be good to sell as a farmer's market offering. (Maybe I can use the bamboo and make back scrubbers.)

Good luck. Neat plant to grow. Have you seen pictures of the pretty blossoms?

The mention of edible loofahs got me looking -
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/1981_March_April/For_Luffa_or_Money_

I did not know there were so many cultivars out there. Maybe I'll try some different varieties next year, and sell the ridged more edible ones as fruits (decent market for Oriental customers down here), and the big fibrous ones as sponges. It says the edible ones get picked about 6 inches long, and even gives a recipe.

Thanks for the OP!

I haven't tried loofahs but I grow lots of other gourds. I love growing and crafting hardshell gourds. I should add loofahs to my gourd crop. They're all fun.

Aunt Honey.. The one plant I managed to get started it taking off and has a couple of young gourds on it. I meant to plant more...(It's my fault.. so much to plant so little space that the deer won't invade! If I get one or two gourds I will be happy considering how little effort I put into them. Great Seeds Honey!

Thanks for letting me know! Be sure to save those seeds.

Aunt Honey,

I see this posting was awhile back. But your knowledge and advice seem really good. Can you help me know which loofah seeds to plant for nice bath and dish washing sponges? Do you know where I can get plants since our midwest growing season is pretty short. Thank you.

Hello Catlover
Loofah gourds are very easy to grow. You can find seeds at any nursery. I'm sorry I don't have any to send to you, but I lost all of mine last year in a dust storm - it came out of nowhere and blew my box of seeds off my patio table and right into Kansas, I think! Anyway, I bought some seeds and I started over this year. Good luck to you, and let me know how it works for you.

Aunt Honey
I would like to grow some loofahs, and maybe even sponges and gourds, for my business.
My business is in Colorado. Could I grow them outdoors?

I want to use them for skin care products.
Can you advise me as to which I would grow?

Let me know when you can.
Thanks,
Francine