go ahead and dry them on the deck. Its the same effect - good air circulation. Just don't let them fall through the 14" gaps. (was that a typo??)

good luck,

Jan

Oh gee - of course that was a typo!!!
That was supposed to read 1/4" (one quarter of an inch).

Thanks Jan for the assurance on leaving them on the deck ... I was hoping that would be ok. I have a large fishing net but didn't want to hang that out under the pergola as the gourds would roll into the middle and I don't know if that would have been good for them or not. Now - I hope the squirrels and other beasties keep away from the gourds - they look perfect now! The deer ate some down in the garden.

Rita in Kalamazoo Michigan

Hi Rita, A deck is fine for drying. That's where I have the ones that I harvested so far. I do move them around a little because with rain and/or dew, moisture developes under them. I also drill 1/8 inch holes in the bottom of my gourds because it speeds up drying. There again the gourds should be moved slightly every other day because a puddle of gourd juice collects under them. I can't believe that several of my gourds are dried and cured already. I think one of the pix on my picturetrail site shows gourds from this year drying on my deck. Good luck! P.S. If you really want to dry/cure your gourds fast and not have them covered with stained mold splotches, try the water/rot method. Gene