How to Grow Luffa
“I thought luffa was a sea sponge?!?!” You’re not alone, I did too until I saw luffa (loofah) growing in the demonstration garden for the University of Arizona Master Gardeners. Learn how to grow luffa, also known as loofah, a delicious vegetable to eat (when picked very young) or you can choose to let it grow and develop into a useful sponge. I decided to give it a try and planted a few seeds, and ended up harvesting dozens of luffa sponges. Learn how to grow luffa and give growing luffa in the garden a try!
Article Outline:
- Plant luffa at the right time
- Patiently wait for female flowers to appear
- Decide if you want to harvest a luffa squash or a sponge
- Harvest the gourd at the correct time
- How to save luffa seeds at the end of the season
How to grow luffa: Plant luffa at the right time
Growing luffa (loofah) in the garden takes time; it often takes 8 months until the gourds are harvested as sponges.
Plant luffa seeds in fertile soil after the danger of frost has passed. (Seeds must be started indoors in Zones 6 and above.) Luffa seeds are available from Seeds Now.
In the low desert of Arizona:
- Start seeds indoors: January – March
- Plant outside: Feb 15 – April
Luffa does best directly sown in the garden but can be started indoors. If growing indoors, transplant when very young for best results.
- Plant seeds 1/2 – 1 inch deep, and plant transplants at the same level as the nursery pot.
- Allow about 1 foot between each luffa plant. For square foot gardening, plant one luffa per square.
- Luffa grows best in well-draining soil with plenty of sunlight. Luffa vines tolerate full sun, even in hot climates.
- Provide regular water, and mulch well the soil around the luffa plants.
- Luffa gourds grow on a vigorous vine (over 10 feet long). Be sure to give them plenty of room to grow and a trellis for support.
Patiently wait for female flowers to appear
Be patient… male flowers on the loofah plant will be the first to appear. They are beautiful flowers and the bees will love them.
After a while, you will see what looks like a miniature luffa. These are the female flowers, and once pollinated will develop into luffa gourds.
Decide if you want to harvest a luffa squash or a sponge
After pollination, small gourds will begin to grow. Harvest loofah when less than 6 inches long if you want to eat it.
Prepare these small luffas like you would a summer squash. It is delicious in stir-fries and when roasted. Read here for more tips for growing summer squash.
Once it is longer than 6 inches, the insides become fibrous, and it is too tough to eat.
How to grow luffa: harvest the gourd at the correct time
When growing luffa in the garden for the sponge, leave it on the vine until it is yellow and feels lightweight and hollow. The skin will begin to shrivel and separate.
- The green gourd pictured on the left side of the photo should stay on the vine a little longer.
- The brown one in the middle should be harvested and peeled right away; it may be brittle.
- The one on the right is ready to harvest. It will be easy to peel and fibrous inside.
This luffa was harvested a little too early. The fibrous insides have not developed. If you have to harvest at this stage, store in a cool dry place until the gourd feels lightweight and hollow.
This luffa was harvested at just the right time. It’s easy to peel. Let it dry once you remove the peel.
This luffa stayed on the vine a little too long. The fibrous insides have become brittle. It is still usable but not as durable.
After peeling, rinse the luffa sponges well by spraying them off with a hose; allow the rinsed luffa to dry thoroughly in the sunlight.
How to save luffa seeds at the end of the season
Saving luffa seeds is easy; when the luffa is ready to harvest as a sponge, the seeds are usually ready too! Once the luffa dries, shake out the seeds inside the luffa gourd, and if they are black, then save the seeds to share with others and plant the following year. Learn more about how to save seeds in this blog post.
To harvest luffa seeds, cut off one end of dried luffa and shake the seeds out. To remove seeds from a previously peeled luffa, allow the gourd to dry out and then shake out the seeds.
When is the best time to grow luffa in Phoenix
Luffa is considered a summer squash so plant it at the same time you would plant summer squash, the end of February through the beginning of April. Hope this helps.
where do i buy luffa seeds?
You can purchase them from several online seed sources. Here is a link to luffa seeds at seedsnow.com
Is beginning of August too late to plant luffahs?
If there is an early frost it may be too late, but if not you should be fine.
@Cindy Ortega,
@Angela Judd, I have luffa volunteers sprouting in my path in august, I’m in Tucson. Seeds must of fell from the gourds last year. Cause it right under the arch where they were climbing. They sprouted with the monsoon rains.
Love it. I had several volunteers last year where I was collecting the luffa seeds. Nature is awesome!
Can the luffa plant thrive when planted in a pot?
Sure. Just make sure it is at least a foot deep and wide (larger is even better). You will need to water and feed the container more frequently than a luffa planted in the ground, as water and nutrients will drain out of the container.
I have loofa on the vine right now I’m in MN and I am struggling to know when to harvest them. It hasn’t frozen yet but come close. They are still green but starting to yellow. What happens if I have to cut them before they are yellowing!!? Right because I shouldn’t let them freeze right ? And if I pick them what do I do with them when they are green? Allow them to sit and yellow?
Freezing will ruin them, so yes, bring them in before a freeze. Since they are starting to yellow, you may be ok. Keep them in a sheltered location until they yellow more. Hopefully at least some of the insides will be ready.
I grew luffa this year, and the vine was huge and very healthy looking! I had two planted in a raised about 4 feet apart. I never had a single male flower even after adding a 15-30-15 bloom booster. What I did get were skinny 1mm wide long bean looking things that would grow 12+ inches long. After 200 days, I finally pulled it out. What did I do wrong? My plant had 10 hours of direct sunlight, and regular waterings.
Sounds like you had got some female flowers (the long bean things), but if you didn’t have male flowers then they didn’t get pollinated. That’s a pretty strong fertilizer. I don’t usually fertilize my luffa with too much. That’s pretty frustrating. Sorry to hear that.
This was my first time growing luffa sponge squash and i think i have harvested my to early they are light green about 12 inch long. My question are they a waste or will they be alright to go ahead and peel?
You could let them dry out and peel them but the insides will not be fully developed.