Debstr's Blog
Debstr's posts about: luffa
Mar 18, 2008 | 7:10 PM PST
Tags: anise hyssop , hot biscuit grass , hare's tail grass , luffa , sunset kale , watermelon
Thank you for letting me share! Debbie :-)
Feb 27, 2008 | 3:22 PM PST
Tags: citronella , luffa
Well, we keep getting hammered with Snow and more is on the way - sure, it looks lovely in a picture and sure would make a nice Christmas card BUT thing is ... I am maxed out on Snow. I will keep my sanity in tact by going down south tomorrow for some relief (watch it snow down there!) I made sure to add the last of my February photos to my album since March will arrive when we are gone and WARM weather I hope LOL
Check out this next photo of the Citronella plant I bought at the recent Garden Show - it has flower buds on it! I will tell you the plant does give off a definite fragrance and now we will see what these flowers do - I have to find time to research this plant a bit more. I have been looking into Lavender and dang there are more varieties then I even imaged. I am still waiting for a book to arrive that I just ordered - will turn me into the pro I am sure :-)
Ok I do have to mention "the Luffa" also here - I know some of my friends here have planted the seeds I sent and others have ordered seeds so let me offer this. Last year when I planted the seed I didn't pay much attention, just planted it, moved it several times and it did do well. This year I paid more attention and the seed I "just planted" took 3 weeks to start growing (that's a longgg time). So I planted a tray full of seeds on 2/18 and they sprouted their little heads on 2/24 ... 6 Days! I did soak them overnight AND nicked the seed with scissors - What a Difference!
I will catch up with blogs before I leave and do hope everyone is doing well and Keeping the Garden Spirit within each of us Growing...... rock on or should that be garden on?? LOL
Jan 23, 2008 | 7:24 AM PST
Tags: luffa , loofa
I thought I would share some information about growing Luffa and using it since I found it quite interesting and several here have shown an interest when seeing the Luffa soaps I made. It is very easy to grow but keep in mind once it starts growing it will take off and grow like crazy so make sure you have plenty of space for the traveling vines. Also this year I will be growing it on a trellis since I have read that the luffa should be hanging straight down and not on the ground - although mine on the ground turned out fine. Luffa also needs a longer growing season and some advice says to let it dry on the vine (start turning brown) and then harvest it. I was unaware of the longer season it needed so brought my luffas in to dry and they did ok. They do have very pretty large yellow flowers that attract alot of bees. They can also grow quite large but once they start to dry they become very light-weight. I peeled the outer skin once dried and then I soaked them in water to clean them and loosen the seeds so they would fall out - many black seeds in a luffa and I did save quite a few. If anyone would like some I would be happy to mail you some for your garden, just send me your address and until I run out I will send them along. Once all the seeds were out of the luffa, I let them dry and then used several to make the soaps shown in my photos. I posted links with instructions yesterday and will retrieve those links and add them to the comments here. I found that the luffa soaps were very beautiful but they are quite stiff so do not use them on children. Actually, the luffa used alone is very soft once wet and I have one in my shower I use daily and also one by the kitchen sink for cleaning. Not sure how long they last since this is my first year. They really are very easy to grow and the end result is fabulous. I was clueless and there isn't much information on the drying process but I found some and once I went through the process myself ......it all worked out! If you have any questions at all, let me know! Debbie in IL
