Luffa aegyptiaca - Luffa or “Loofah” is a fast growing vine that produces yellow flowers attracting pollinators and then grows large gourds. You can eat the gourds fresh or dry them to use as natural sponges/scrubs. The plant takes about 90-120 days to grow and about 200 days to produce the gourds that are ready to harvest. We like to leave the gourds on the vine to completely dry out before harvesting for natural sponges. Just make sure to harvest before the first frost.

Tip:  If you let the gourd dry on the vine, it will be full of seeds that you can save to use for next season. Cut the ends of the dried gourd off and give it a good shake to get all the seeds out.