Loofahs are grown from dirt. Surprised? Don’t feel bad. Many people think that loofah sponges are recovered from the ocean. Those would be sea sponges and are different.
Around year 2000, my dad found some seeds in my grandparents old utility room. He had no idea what the seeds were. He later found some grown and pealed loofahs in a brown paper sack. After asking around, he figured out that the seeds were shared from another family member from Georgia. Without knowing anything at all, he took a chance at the aged seeds. He ended up with an abundance of loofahs and thousands of seeds for sharing.
Loofahs are actually edible, when they are very young and small (6″ or less). That’s a fact that I learned just today. We have never tried them in that way. So, what are the uses? For us, we like to have one at the kitchen sink for scouring action on our pots and pans, or even dishes. We also keep one in the shower (one per person) to exfoliate our rough spots. Great for elbows, knees, and feet. I also make soaps with loofah pieces in the middle. You bathe and get exfoliation all at one time.
One you use your loofah, just rinse it and set it in spot to dry between uses. Will not mold or mildew. They last forever! Literally, it doesn’t disintegrate.
Loofahs grow like cucumbers, so ensure that your plants have something to climb. Without reinventing the wheel, just visit this website. I with we had seen this article years ago. Instead, my dad has mastered the Loofah growing and harvesting from trial and error. They are not hard to grow at all, but we’ve just learned a lot through the years, especially when to pick them and how to peel them.
From one loofah, will come hundreds of seeds. As long as we have seeds, we will share them- FREE. You can send a self addressed stamped (1 stamp is fine) envelope to:
Angela Reynolds
8041 Bluff Ridge Road
Bessemer, AL 35022
You’ll receive a little bag of seeds, enough for you and a friend. From just 2-3 seeds, you could end up with 20-30 loofahs. So, be careful in planting all of them in one location. I ensure that all of sweet notes are read to my daddy. He asks me daily, “How many envelopes did you get today?”. He loves to bless others!
Once you start growing your loofahs, please send us a picture. We would love to see them! You can send them to [email protected] or send me a message on Facebook. Happy gardening and harvesting!
