Growing Luffas

2 Materials
Can you believe you can grow luffas in your own home garden? I always thought the sponges came from the ocean, but they are actually gourds! Check out how to grow them yourself!












Plant your luffa seeds as early as possible. Luffas take a long time to grow and a lot of space. You need a sturdy trellis. We used our chain link fencing. Luffas don't care if you have good soil or not, so plant away. For more detail about growing luffas click here to go to the article on the blog.













Click here to get seeds. afflnk. Let the plants grow as long as you can indoors and then get them in the ground after the last danger of frost. For us in Oklahoma, that's around April 15.












Care for the seedlings as they grow. Plant them outside when danger of frost is passed.












Baby luffas start forming on the vine. They are edible at this stage. They kind of taste like okra. The plants are beautiful as well as the flowers.












Luffas will grow to around a foot or more in length. Harvest them when they begin to turn yellow.












Peel the skin off the outside and harvest the seeds. Then let them dry out a bit or rinse the sap out of them and let them dry.












You can store them for years as long as they are clean and dry. Use luffas in the bath, kitchen, or outside even to wash your car. Whatever you need a scrubbie for, luffas will do the job.





















Each sponge lasts for months if you keep it dry between uses. I hang mine up in the bathtub and the kitchen by running a shoe lace through the middle and hanging them after each use to dry. For more information, check out Little Sprouts Learning online.








You could hang them on your faucet here.












Suggested materials:
  • Luffa seeds   (Amazon)
  • Potting Mix   (Lowe's)
Little Sprouts Learning
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 18 questions
  • Kelley Shimer-kittle Kelley Shimer-kittle on Apr 12, 2017

    I live in California, do they only grow certain times of the year? I saw the other questions , has to been in direct sun & can be Planted in a pot?

  • Michael Ginger Reed Michael Ginger Reed on Jul 22, 2017

    how do I get the seeds out of the ones I grow?

    how long do I let them dry after peeling skin off?

  • Tona Shaw Tona Shaw on Aug 18, 2017

    Do they grow in the UK

Comments
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6 of 147 comments
  • I tried this past summer - way too hot for them and they just didn't grow. In my case they need way more water and some shade. Going to try a different location this spring!

    • See 2 previous
    • Little Sprouts Learning Little Sprouts Learning on Jan 02, 2018
      I sure hope you get some cooler weather!
  • Well I never knew that, you learn something new every day. Thanks for sharing

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