Storing Gourd
Birdhouses
Summers over, the martins are all gone south for the
winter, now what do I do with the gourds?
Just like any other
natural items in nature, gourds will deteriate if left out in the
elements. Therefore, to protect them, they should be put away in
storage for the winter months. This one action alone will help make
your gourds last as long as 30 years. You've put a lot of work into
preparing them, you might as well go that extra step and try to
protect them and make them last.
This is the easiest way I've
found to 'put them up' for the winter. After taking them down and
cleaning them out, I get some of those large, heavy duty
trash bags. I've found the real thick ones work best. I then place
about 10 gourds in each one and then seal it tight. I happen to have
a storage room off the back of my shop, and I hang the bags of
gourds from the rafters so the insects and rodents can't get at
them. The ones I use have their own draw strings, so it makes it
easy for me to hang them. The plastic bags are very slippery and
makes it just about impossible for anything to get a good foothold
without sliding off. Any spare, out of the way space will work if
you don't have a shop like me. An attic, a wall of a garage, back
porch, or storage shed, etc. You just want to get them out of the
elements and out of your way until they are needed next spring. Just
make sure the place selected is dry and that the bags are sealed
tightly so nothing can get in.
Leaving them hang out in the
elements all winter is not a good thing to do with them, and their
usable life will be cut very short. And, just bundling them together
and setting them in a corner somewhere without protection is
inviting all kinds of creatures to take up residence in them. You'd
be surprised at just how many nests one field mouse can build and
how many holes they can chew to get to them. Take the extra measure
to protect them. Believe me, it's worth every bit of the
effort.
Comments/Questions
If you have any comments, would like to send me
another Martin site, or just say "Hi", please click on my
mail box to send e-mail to
Chuck Abare
Please note:
If you send me an Email and ask
a question and do not get an answer of some sort from me within a
couple of weeks, it's because your return email is not correct. Find
out what your correct email is, correct the problem and then send
your question to me again.
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Woodside Gardens
The Registry of Nature Habitats
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