How to Grow Luffa Sponges (And Easily Process Them)
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- Growing luffa sponges is easy - and processing them is even easier!
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Harvest luffa when they are brown, then beat 'em on the ground to loosen the seeds inside. Crack off the end piece and dump out the seeds to save, then rip off the skin. Now you have a sponge! You can keep it as is, or cut your luffa sponge into pieces, or even embed luffa in homemade soap.
Luffa, also known as loofah, is a member of the cucumber family and is also edible as a cooked vegetable when harvested young. If they taste bitter /don't eat them/ as they can cause toxic squash syndrome. Loofah just needs a trellis and a lot of space and it will give you more sponges than you'll need in a year!
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Also, my daughter has luffa seeds here: www.etsy.com/shop/GoodGardens
It's also medicinal.
❤
The more you know.
These also make fantastic packing material.
We send gifts and use loofah as cushioning around the gift in the shipping box.
Lightweight and biodegradable. And of course, a sponge.
I just read an article this morning about how healthy and medicinal the luffa guard is. The leaves are made into a tea for healing.
I never knew about this spongy goodness. It's almost as if this place was made to provide for all sorts of needs.
its fun for preschoolers to grow and give as gifts
That is a great idea.
❤❤❤I love Luffa! The yellow flowers are beautiful and the sponges are awesome & so many seeds! We planted them on the fence of our 15' X 35' Dog pen when the vines got long we put string & wire over the top of the pen and our Aussie Hershey had a very nicel shady area to play in.
Fantastic addition to my homemade natural soaps… this long hot summer would have been perfect, last year it was too short and rainy! Next year I give it the next try… great advice with the seeds and the easy way to crack it, … didn’t know that! Thanks! ❤
Love this! Thanks never knew was so easy to be clean😊
I've grown luffa in Arizona twice and I'm hooked! Didn't have much to process; only 6 survived the birds, but they lasted me two years. Favorite use is to clean eggs. Definitely want to grow something else with it this time around in Kentucky and Definitely want to buy seeds from your daughter. Thanks for sharing! God bless you and your family 💞
Picked young, they are very tasty!
agreed!
This squash is our version of zucchini. In fact, we didn't know zucchini existed until we came to America. We use zucchini when our recipe calls for this squash.
I just got done picking a few myself had to make me a trail to get in amongst em
Thanks David. I haven't grown these before but was thinking about trying. Your info should help me.
Hello D. Good! Been awhile. Yep, I got into loofas a couple of times. With one exception I never found much of a use for 'em. All that is left is a 20 year old piece stuffed down into the air intake (filter holder thingy) on my ancient vintage model floor model air pump....which is still humming, I might add...knock on wood! Wow!
Your bestest fan way over in Alabam,
Norm
That is hilarious.
As an aside... they make great dog toys.
I had some out to dry and found one shredded in the yard with happy dogs!😆
That is another cool use!
This was interesting! Thank you for showing us this.
We grew luffa for the first time last year and LOVE them! They really do make the perfect bath sponge and produce SO MANY seeds! Great video :)
We grew these in ga this year for the first time and yes, they are very vigorous.
I love ALL David The Good videos!
Yes!
I love growing loofahs, I had sooo many last year I didn't have to grow any this year.
I think I will try these again next year. Thanks for covering it!
One of my fave veggies and currently used as my bath sponge .
I grew these years ago! Had NO idea How To do the seeds, or age it, etc. So I did it the Hard way! 😂
I am in Ontario, still grows up here!
I've tryng to grow these for 2 years with no success. I guess I've had too many other projects going on at once and haven't focused on them. Instead of trellising them, they've sprawled out into the garden and my chickens have eaten them.
Oh well, maybe next year.
Glad yours were successful!
💚🌱
Cottage core mentioned 🤓☝🏻
I'm cheap. Works for me!
Wow, a tasty sponge.
If you ever find it hard to get all the peel off, dip it in water and the dried peel will come off much easier. 🎉
Just bought luffa seeds so excited 😆
They are really fun to grow - just give 'em LOTS of space!
Ive already launched my Grocery Row Garden. But i need to take it to the next level.
Rock on!
I'm glad you qualified the part about eating Lufa. As I recall you did say there are several varieties of lufa .
OK, that was fascinating!
Now how do I grow Dawn Dish Soap?? 🧼🤔
Get a soap nut tree and some shampoo ginger plants to grow.
English Ivy, boiled
Bwahahahaha! Good one!
I think you spill crude oil on baby ducks
🤣🤣🤣
We are growing birdhouse gords this year. Loving it.
Gonna try these loofas next season!❤
Would love any recommendations on varieties suitable for the Pacific Northwest.
Is that the natural sponge that can be added to homemade soaps? Definitely gonna add it whenever I make soap!!
Yes
I've never had such an easy peeling loofah. If you struggle, soak them in water (& maybe a nice smelling soap?) and the peels come off ok. tbh I used a little bleach to deal with the mold from the rain.
My luffa is covering over 60 feet of my back fence line! Only growing one (not 5) next year if we have spare sponges in the spring. LOVE ❤ them though!
They are insanely vigorous! That is great.
@@davidthegood we ate the small ones for a perfect zucchini replacement until we were tired of zucchini type stuff for the year. Can wait till mine start looking like that!
Tried growing it this year but not a single one on the multiple vines and i planted rhen as early as the weather allowed hopefully next year i grt at least one so I i don't need to buy the crazy expensive seeds
So cooool! Is Daisy selling loofah seeds?
She has some, yes: www.etsy.com/shop/GoodGardens
Awesome
I bought some seeds a bit back to grow but procrastinated because we were hoping to move soon.
Looks like I'll be growing them here this next spring after all👍
Lufa ! DTG KRYPTONITE !😂
Nothing better than a natural sponge, we all should say no to those plastic sponges! Also, curious about tasting fresh luffas, probably similar in taste to squash but interesting to try it out, just remembering if its bitter,throw it out to the compost pile, if it tastes as great as the z-word, keep it.😂
They have a nice flavor when cooked.
Could they grow in a 5 gallon bucket?🤔
Thanks in advance for the response ❤
I have luffa seeds somewhere but I can’t find them in my mess of seeds 😅
I left my luffa on the vine to dry but they went moldy 🙁 next time I will pick them and move somewhere under cover to finish drying out
The Vietnamese eat the luffa like a zucchini.
If I can grow Luffas, anyone can grow Luffa! It was easier for me to grow Luffa than cucumbers 😂
I would like your help with a food forest, just a few months ago I found the property I’ve been looking for. For a couple of years I’ve been watching you and others to learn so when I found the property I’d be able to plant. I’m retired and by myself and need help on the layout and plants.
I’ve have planted some fruit tress and companion plants but not really sure I’m doing it right.
Do I need to join for $24 to get your help, how will you determine if I’m one of the 10?
HELP, I’m choking on what to do and can’t afford to make many mistakes.
Thank you
Come and join - I will make sure you are helped - there is a big thread going on the challenge!
I tried growing them in Zone 6a and they grew, but I didn’t start them early enough so they didn’t have enough time to dry on the vine. 😢
"Oh. Hello there. I didn't see you come in."
David I know you're a big fan of landracing, I'm getting into it too. Do you know if there are close relatives that you could potentially breed with Luffa?
The closest I know of is "Luffa angularis," but I don't think it will cross.
Luffa is really wild, and doesn't seem to have much variation, so it's probably basically a landrace already.
@@davidthegood Thanks for the reply. Will certainly save me a lot of effort!
How do you get your vines to "loofa"? I ha e grown the vines for a couple years now. Beautiful shady vines with pretty yellow flowers all over on top & never once have i gotten a fruit.
Lots of sun, and space to run - don't plant them close to each other. And hot summers.
Are they susceptible to the squash vine borers?
They do not seem to be.
How long does it take them to dry out in our Florida sun?
They hang on the vine a long time. Probably a month after ripening.
Have 3 vines. Only 2 loufas have grown so far. Lots of male flowers. Missing something
Maybe pollinators. We get a LOT more male blooms, though. We have three loofahs that matured on these vines so far this year, despite many hundreds of flowers.
I have a giant vine with few blooms and no fruit!
Usually the female blooms start later
@@davidthegood thank you
When are they bitter?
If they are high in curcurbiticin toxin, they will taste bitter.
Do you have to bleach them after peeling or i they goid to go?
Good to go
mine needed bleach
Can you grow loofas in 6b?
Yes
Early
This year I experienced why you call one plant the z word.
thank you for telling the truth ,i have heard they come from the ocean, like that animal, dark in color and look like an fat worm fun and scary , some sort of filter for the oceanwater, i think. good day to you.
That is hilarious.
James P told me NO! J/k