ORGANIC AND OPEN POLLINATED SEEDS

Benincasa hispida

Ash Gourd, also known as Wax Gourd, Winter Melon, White Gourd, Tallow Gourd, or Chinese Preserving Melon, is a versatile and highly valued vegetable from the Cucurbitaceae family. Native to South and Southeast Asia, it is widely cultivated across India for its large, nutritious fruit, medicinal properties, and long shelf life.

This plant produces thick, coarse, hairy vines with large rough leaves. This is an all-year crop and produces fruit that grow oblong, measuring 50-60 cm long and 10-25 cm wide. When young, the fruit is covered in soft fuzzy hairs that disappear as it matures, leaving a natural wax coating that preserves the fruit for up to a year.

Ash Gourd is prized for its mild, crisp, and juicy flesh with white or yellow seeds. It is commonly used in Indian cuisine, particularly in curries, soups, and stir-fries, and is also blended into smoothies, juices, and salads, especially during hot summer months for its natural cooling properties. It is also candied (Agra Petha is made from it) and is recognized in Ayurveda for its medicinal benefits. Highly nutritious, Ash Gourd is a must-have for gardeners seeking a multi-purpose vegetable that offers both culinary and health benefits.

This crop thrives in well-drained loam or sandy soils under warm, mild climates, requiring constant irrigation during its growing season. It is unsuitable for frost and prefers riverbeds or furrows for optimal growth.

Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom

• About: Vine produces large melon-like vegetable with white waxy coating.
• Culinary Use: Used in curries, soups, sweets (petha), and ayurvedic recipes.
• Growing Season: All year (except in places with frost).
• Days to Harvest: 100-120 days.
• Harvest Tips: Harvest when fruits mature and skin develops waxy layer.
• Sunlight: 6-8 hours.
• Container Friendly: Needs open ground or very big containers - 14-18” pots.
• Seed Count per Packet: ~15-20 seeds.