Nest Egg Gourds

During the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, nest egg gourds were a common sight on farms that were seen growing on rows of fences. The long vines produce numerous amounts of white egg shaped gourds, which create quite a display when they are fully grown. When displayed in a bowl or on a table, these gourds almost appear to be white eggs.

When farmers would collect eggs from the hen’s nest, two or three of these “nest eggs” would replace the hen’s eggs. By placing these gourds where the farmers had recently collected the egg, the hen would think that her eggs were still safely in the nest. Therefore, the hen would continue to lay eggs, and would not try to leave her current nest in order to find a new location.

If you have an interest in nest egg gourds, there are a few things you need to consider before growing them. One of those considerations would be to understand that nest egg gourds are not true gourds, but rather belong to the pepo squash family. The pepo squash family includes vegetables like zucchini and yellow straight neck squash. For seed preserving purposes, isolate the nest egg gourd from other members of the pepo squash family.

John Coykendall, Master Gardener