When I was young, I saw one of these at my aunts house, and I was silly enough to ask her where she bought it. She just laughed and told me she had grown them in her backyard garden. I have been curious since, so just the other day I remembered our little conversation and decided to do some research on how to grow luffas.

What do you know, they actually do grow on vines, and are extracted from the gourds. They can be used for everything from washing dishes to exfoliating your skin and even as your natural daily wash sponge in the shower. You do not have to grow many vines, as one can produce up to 30 or more luffas. One luffa can last a few months, as long as you do not leave it sitting in water for extended periods of time.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• luffa seeds
• seedling starter mix
• seedling tray or container
• wooden trellis
• compost

Since these vines have a long growing season about 150 to 200 days, it is recommended that you start your seeds inside around January. Germination of the seeds can take anywhere from one to six weeks, so you have to be patient. They should be ready for transplant around early April. Only transplant seedlings that are at least a foot long.

Find a nice sunny spot in your garden, and either build a strong trellis or use something like a chain link fence to support your vines which can grow up to 30 feet long. Water well, and within a few weeks you should start to see yellow flowers, the gourds will start to grow behind these flowers.

When the gourd is about a foot long it is ready for harvest. Cut the top off the luffas, and peel off the skin and remove the seeds from inside. Wash off the slimy substance that coats the luffas and leave them out to dry in the sun. Store them in a cool dry place, until you need to use them.

You can get more information from the Little Sprouts Learning blog, here…

How To Grow Luffas

You can watch the video below on how to grow luffas…

You can watch the video below on how to harvest luffas…

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