I can't think of a better reason to start growing gourds!!
I'm sure your granddaddy would be grinning ear to ear if he could read your post. Your ambition and enthusiasm add up to joyful determination, and I really admire you.

I want to tell you to start with a few seeds....maybe a dozen or so, and plant two seeds together about every ten feet. But I'm laughing as I remember how we planted about thirty seeds in the same size area as your garden.
Its easy to get carried away, but its best not to over-crowd your fences. The weight of the vines will amaze you, but once the gourds set on, each gourd could weigh 10 - 25 lbs, according to the size and shape of the gourd.

You could get as few as four, or as many as a dozen gourds to a vine. That will depend on growing conditions....
watering, drought, pollination, etc.

If anyone tells you they are easy to clean, be careful, they might try to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.
Actually, after growing comes the process of drying, aka: curing or maturing. This could take several months, depending upon the density of the gourd and its size and shape. A good book for any gourdener is "Gourds in Your Garden" by Ginger Summitt. You can find it in most larger book stores and libraries.

After the gourds are dry, they can be cleaned. Unless you choose to greenscrape them, then the cleaning process will be easier. Again, I recommend the cleaning info in the book mentioned above.

We've been growing gourds for several years now. Some years have been great for growing and some not so hot.
We always have a good supply of gourds from year to year and haven't become discouraged. We've also met lots of other wonderful gourd enthusiasts and artists through the years, and we are part of a local gourd group that meets monthly to spend time together as we work on our gourds.

Just give it a try, be patient, and you'll be enjoying gourds for years to come.

Jan

I found growing gourds last summer to be the most satisfying thing I've grown. You get such a variety of shapes even when you grow one type of seed. I grew the Birdhouse gourd and got all kinds of sizes and shapes. My husband put up cattle fencing. Very sturdy to handle the weight of the gourds. If you trim back the long vines you are able to control them and it also will direct the energy into making the gourd instead of just alot of vines. I let them cure on the fencing into late summer. all the vines will be brown and dead. They cure more naturally like that. Cleaning them is work but as you clean with a copper scrubbie you see all the mottled shapes that were made from the curing skin. When you begin to cut them open to clean (I use the top to a vegetable can as a scraper. Works pretty good.) , etc. wear a face mask. The very fine dust particles can get into your lungs and can build up and cause lung issues. Instead of me scaring you look up more on the internet. It has not stopped me though from enjoying crafting with them. I have enjoyed coiling on the cut tops with jute and pineneedles, as well as doing teneriffe weaving and making dream catchers. It has been a very neat artistic expression for me. Have fun. You'll be anxciously awaiting them to grow and cure so you can see what each one will develop into.

I wish you well with your gourds.I am planning a gourd garden as well this year and have found the following link really informative.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gourds