Artists like Dixon scour the countryside for gourds. We're quite serious artists. The thick-shelled gourds artists prefer for painting, carving or wood burning need balanced, heavy feeding. She has added large amounts of compost to the soil of her plot and adds more fertilizer. Some of the smaller gourds are raised on arbors that keep the gourd necks straight.
Harvest is after the first frost, and the gourds are stored outside on pallets.
Some farmers pile them in heaps to dry, she said. Even the gourds that don't dry well have artistic potential. Pests don't present major problems, although growers need to keep on top of them, she said. The larger gourds need growing conditions similar to giant pumpkins. Some are labor-intensive, requiring individual gourds to be set on their ends to promote attractive shapes, she said.