What Are Gourds—and Are They Safe to Eat?

Gourds play a pretty big part in the fall season—they tend to crop up as table decor for your Thanksgiving tablescape or in craft projects for your harvest-themed fall porch. But gourds are more than just ornamental fall decor—these hard-shelled fruits have also played host to musical instruments, sponges, and even bird houses over the centuries (yes, centuries!).

We spoke with horticulture experts to help us understand what a gourd is and some of the most common varieties.

What Is a Gourd?

A gourd is a member of the Cucurbitaceae, or cucurbit family, says Joe Masabni, PhD, a vegetable specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. In layman's terms, a gourd is hard-shelled, non-edible fruit related to cucumbers, summer and winter squashes, and pumpkins.

"The gourd is a very old plant species, and water bottles made from gourd were used by early Egyptians 4,000 years ago," says Masabni. "In many countries, gourds are still used as storage containers and utensils. Nowadays, gourds are mostly used as ornamental novelties, bird houses, or ornamental decorations on Thanksgiving."

What Are Common Types of Gourds?

You're likely familiar with the gourds you see in crafts stores or at the supermarket in the fall, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are actually 975 species of gourds, says Jessica Mercer, content specialist with Plant Addicts.

But the varieties you're most likely to see are bottle gourds, snake gourds, apple gourds, nest egg gourds, and penguin gourds. "Many specialty pumpkins and squash that are sold as 'fall/winter' squash are sometimes called gourds, too," says Timothy Coolong, PhD, professor of horticulture and vegetable extension specialist at the University of Georgia Extension.

Can You Eat Gourds?

The short answer is no, you typically can't eat gourds. "By definition, a gourd is a non-edible fruit," Masabni says. "Some gourds, like the Daisy gourd, are not suitable for eating no matter how long you steam or boil it."

"There are pie pumpkins that you can eat, but there are some hard-shell pumpkins that are better used exclusively as decorations in the same way a gourd would be," says Coolong. So when you see gourds in the grocery store, know that they are primarily for decorative purposes and head to the baking aisle for your pumpkin pie ingredients instead.

How to Grow and Harvest Gourds

Gourds are a long-season crop, and typically need at least 120 days to grow and mature, with another six weeks to grow transplants indoors, according to Masabni. But in general, you can treat your gourds like growing pumpkins or other fall squash, says Coolong.

"Some growers will trellis the gourds to keep them off the ground and produce cleaner, higher quality fruit as well—particularly some of the smaller gourds," Coolong says. "On the other hand, there are some very large kettle gourds (think hundreds of pounds) that wouldn't work on a trellis."

Be sure that the soil that you use for your gourds is nutrient rich with plenty of organic matter before you begin planting your seeds. Incorporate fertilizer at planting and at first flower, says Masabni. And be aware that gourds are susceptible to a fungal disease called powdery mildew and can play host to insects like aphids, squash vine borers, and grasshoppers.

You'll be able to tell that gourds are ready to be harvested when their stems dry and turn brown. These stems are pretty tough, though, so have a pair of pruning shears handy to cut them off.