The Gourd Luffa Chinese Okra, Cee Gwa, Sze Qwa, 'Luffa aegyptiaca' is simple and easy to grow. Grow your own sponge! The Luffa Gourd can also be cooked and eaten like summer squash! What a useful vegetable, and fun for the whole family. Grow your own sponge for exfoliating and clearing your skin, scrubbing dishes, and cleaning the barbeque grill. When the gourds are harvested between 4 and 6 inches long, they are a sweet, tasty vegetable that can be stir-fried, sauteed, or cooked with meats just as you would zucchini squash or okra. Mature gourd seeds can be roasted, and young flowers and foliage can be cooked as a green.
Plant in the spring,1 to 2 weeks after the last average frost date and when soil temperatures have risen above 60 degrees. Place the gourds in full sun. The soil must be well drained and have lots of organic material. When using the gourds for a sponge, harvest when they turn brown, feel light and rattle with loose seeds.