I was introduced to the Luffa gourd while living in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, where it grows on every telephone pole in the province. Guanacaste has a dry tropical forest ecosystem with at least six ...

Grow your own bath sponge! Luffa gourds are the familiar bath sponge. Growing your own will keep you entertained all growing season and are great fun for a long time after they are harvested. Peel ...

MCCANDLESS, Pa. — To most Americans, a luffa is a sponge. But to Wei Fei Chen, it’s a wonder gourd that’s fun to grow and good to eat. “You can saute or steam it with tofu, shrimp, chicken. Sometimes ...

Shaped like an oversized apple, these hard-shelled gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) grow six to eight inches tall and four to six inches across. In India, young fruit is added to curries. The skin is ...

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but sponges grow on vines. Loofahs (also known as luffas) are a type of vining plant that produces fruit that closely resembles a large zucchini. The loofah fruit can be ...

Kraft grows a luffa plant in her front yard in Knoxville. (Photo: Amy Smotherman Burgess) Rachel Kraft grows a luffa plant in her front yard. The gourd type plant are edible, if harvested early, or ...

Gourds are members of the Cucubitaceae family, which also includes the pumpkin. There are three main types: hard-shelled, ornamental and luffa. Hard-shelled gourds known as Lagenaria are the variety ...

Question: I planted luffa gourds, which have done wonderfully. Now I would like to make sponges with them. Can you give me any advice on how to proceed? Answer: Luffa gourds, also known as dishcloth ...

Dear Jean: You are growing cucuzzi gourd, Lagenaria siceraria. They're pretty big, but very edible. This one is well over a 18 inches long, and will keep growing till it's three feet or more. At that ...