Luffa

Luffa: plant 45 cm (18 in) apart in the row and 150 cm (59 in) between rows, 1 per square. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	45 cm (18 in)
Between rows	150 cm (59 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	250 cm (98 in)
Crop rotation group	Anywhere in the rotation
Support	Climbs: give it a trellis or teepee

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed, started in trays
Seeds per hole	2
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	4
Sowing depth	2.5 cm (1 in)
Soil temperature	from 16 °C, best 24–30 °C
Days to emerge	5–10 days
Light while germinating	Light makes no difference
Before sowing	Soak overnight
When to sow	Indoors 3 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 16 °C

After emergence	20–25 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 1 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Only with care, keep the root ball
Hardening off	5–7 days
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Tender, hurt by frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	30 L, 40 cm (15.7 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; at flowering, while fruit sets
Feeding	Hungry; at planting, at flowering, while picking
Support and training	A trellis or net; tie in as it grows

Days to first harvest	110–150 days, from sowing
Ready when	The fruit is the size you want, still young
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 4–8 weeks
Typical yield	3–8 kg per plant
Botanical family	Cucurbitaceae
Watch out for	Powdery mildew, squash bugs, aphids

Open the free planner, drop Luffa onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

Plants of the Cucurbitaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.