State Arboretum of Virginia
Plant a Row Program

The Virginia Lovers' Gourd Society is honored and excited to be a part of the State Arboretum of Virginia's Plant A Row program, a public vegetable-growing project that gives a portion of the harvest to local food banks. VLGS will take charge of the arbor in the designated area to grow edible and inedible gourds. Informational signs will be posted among the plants for visitors to learn about gourds and about the science of cross pollination, or lack thereof. All edible gourds will be given to a local food bank, and the inedible ones will be available at the Virginia Gourd Festival, Nov. 7 & 8, 2009.  The arbor looked kind of ragged before we started work on May 17, but life got better once the ground was tilled and debris taken away to compost piles. The State Arboretum of Virginia is also known as the University of Virginia's Blandy Experimental Farm. It's street address is 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Boyce, VA 22620 [Rt. 50, just outside of Winchester as you head toward D.C.]. Go to http://www.virginia.edu/blandy to learn more about the Arboretum!


 
Dig a wide, deep hole so 1/2 of the dirt taken out can be mixed with compost and lime to form the base of the hole. Cover the amendments and mound up with the remaining dirt, making a round shape with a rim.
Plant 8-9 seeds in a circle around the mound, but inside the rim. Make markers so you remember what you planted! Janice is wearing her gourd thinking cap!
 
 
Place marker at the rim of the mound. Water the seeds and place four/five layers of overlapping, wet newspaper on ground surrounding the mound(s). This keep weeds down. Spread a thick layer of straw over the newspapers and spray with water to dampen for weight.
 
 
Here is a portion of the arbor area planted, newspapered, and strawed. Notice the raised bed at the end of the arbor where our edible gourds (pumpkins) have been planted. This is the arbor area done. Phew!!  A few waterproofed signs have been attached to the post talking about gourds, cross pollination, how to plant, etc. The Welcome to the World of Gourds sign is at the end as you enter the whole gardening area.
 
This is the whole community gardening area from afar. Beyond the fenced-in gardening area, families of deer sprint across the field on occasion. And here's the beginnings of mini spinner gourds, tiny but growing! Success!
A wall of gourds!
Apple gourd
Dipper gourds

 
Vining up twine lines
Overgrowth of vines on the ground
Trellised gourds
photos added August 2009: