Making Birdhouses Out of Gourds

If you want an easy fun craft that can be a good safe home for birds and other wildlife, then you have came to the right place. We will go over what you need to do, not only to make a nice birdhouse but one that will last for a good long time.

Gourd birdhouses are great for many reasons. They can hang up all winter. They are inviting and appealing to the birds. Though the birdhouse takes a little time to make, they really are not difficult. So all in all this is a fun easy craft project that will benefit more than just our want to be creative.

Starting out with the basics.

Find the right gourd

Making your birdhouse from the gourd will be simple. The first thing you need to do is find a rather good-sized gourd to work with. At least six inches tall at the base, this is not including the stem. Though if you can get bigger than this, it is better.

If you do not know where to find a good gourd, you can look in the vegetable section of your grocery store. The gourd is in the same family as the pumpkins and squash. So they should be in that area.

Prepare the gourd for crafting into the birdhouse

This is the process that you take the gourd and soak it in warm water for a minimum of four hours. This is the part that will take the longest. However, that time is very important. You want to make it so that the skin can be completely brushed away.

After it has soaked for at least four hours, you can go to the next step. This is where you take your steel wool. With the wool, you will gently scrub off all of the skin. That will make it so that the gourd is smooth. Rinse the gourd after the skin is cleared. Then let the gourd dry completely.

Making the holes

There will be three different holes put into the gourd. The first two will be on each side of the stem. This is where you will string the jute, or some type of rope or string to hang the birdhouse. These are rather small holes, maybe a little bigger than a nail.

This is going to be a larger hole in the center of one side of the gourd base. They hole should be large enough to fit a small bird or two in. So you may need to dig this area out a little.

Paint and design

Now you will want to put a base coat on as the first protection needed against the weather. That coat as with all other coats of paint should be allowed to dry. You can use either a spread on paint, or a spray paint.

Next you can design the gourd. This can be with a coat of regular paint, with designs, or what ever you want. You can be as creative as you would like.

Now finally you will want to put on a protective semi-gloss topcoat. This will keep the rain and snow from damaging the paint below.

String the rope and hang

Sting the rope, jute or string through the top strings after the gourd is completely dry. This will be what you use to hang the birdhouse from your tree, in your yard, or in your garden.

These are easy, fun and good sources of birdhouses to create. Making birdhouses out of gourds is a great way to contribute to the safety of wild life while beautifying your own yard.