They are easy - just like any gourd or cucumber. The vines can get enormous so give them lots of space. Asian cultures eat them before they get full size and stringy.

Hi John, Thanks for you info. I brought the loofahs in this morning to work and everybody was so impressed. How many loofahs do you usually get per vine? I'm thinking about growing these for Christmas prizes next year. Does the vine take alot of water. Judy

I wasn't paying attention and I grew more than one vine and they were all intertwined so I can only guess that you get 3-6 gourds per vine. Other growers might know for sure. I think that if you really work on them you can get all the loofahs you'll ever need.

They need to be watered or heavily mulched. No matter what you do the leaves will collapse during the hottest parts of the day. It doesn't affect the health of the plant (as long as you see them perk back up when the evening cools things down).

I believe the commercial places treat the fibers to keep them from rotting. Most of my home grown sponges tend to get very dark and kinda stinky after a while. They probably just bleach them.