Gourd Graveyard

On June 30th, I wrote an article about the gourds we are growing this year.

http://windyacresnaturalfarm.blogspot.com/2012/06/gourds-running-rampant.html

The vines were going strong at that point even though we had had very little rain.  Shortly after that, we had some of the hottest days I have ever seen in all my 42 years living in Oklahoma.  High temperatures in excess of 110 degrees were common for several weeks.  Finally, the temperatures moderated a bit and, recently, we got some desperately needed rainfall.  

All this took its toll on the gourds and most of the gourd vines have died.  They might have done somewhat better had I remembered to water them a bit more.  :-(  However, even though the vines have mostly died, most of the gourds were mature enough that it looks like they will dry nicely.  In fact, after the vines died, I was amazed to see how many gourds there were hiding under the leaves and in the grass.  Here are some pictures of them.