A gourd birdhouse often invokes a sense of wonder as to how this vegetable can be hollowed out so perfectly leaving a thin strong hard-shell. Luckily for gourd enthusiasts nature does most of the work. As the gourd dries it transforms from a heavy solid green vegetable to a beige light hollow wood-like shell. The vegetable matter that is inside the gourd dries and shrinks making loose flaky stuff that generally comes off the hard shell quite easily.
There are some special challenges that cleaning the inside of a gourd birdhouse presents over other projects such as gourd bowls. There is only a small hole to access the inside of the gourd making it impossible to get your hand inside making many tools useless.
So… How Do You Hollow Out A Gourd?
The insides will usually be loose and relatively easy to simply dump out through the hole that is made for the bird. Use a wooden spoon, paint stick or any other long-handled tool that fits through the hole to remove the gourd insides to get any stuck on pieces off. Birds do not mind some vegetable matter left over so you don’t have to perfectly empty the gourd.
Troubleshooting Hard To Empty Gourd Birdhouses
Occasionally, the insides of a dried gourd end up clumping together or really sticking to the gourd wall making it impossible to get out of the hole with a simple tool. When this happens you can submerge the gourd in a bucket of water and let it sit until the mass inside the gourd gets soft enough to break apart. It can then be removed with a tool and your fingers.
A strong gourd will have no problem getting completely wet but it is important to make sure it is dried completely before crafting or storing the gourd to avoid it from growing mold. Placing it in direct sun or in front of a fan or vent is recommended.