How to Grow Loofahs aka Luffas in the Garden Almanac.com

Now, with natural scrubbing action! While you may know loofahs (aka luffas) as sponges for their use in the shower or the kitchen, they’re actually cucurbits and grow on vines. Yes, they’re edible! Learn how to plant, grow, and care for loofahs.

About Loofahs

Firstly, is it loofah or luffa? It’s both, so whichever you prefer is fine. Two species are used: Luffa cylindrica syn. L. aegyptiaca and Luffa acutangula. Both species are vigorous climbing annual vines. It is necessary to provide something for them to climb, and vines can achieve 30 feet in length.

Luffas are prized for their inner fibrous structure that, when dried, makes an excellent shower scrubber. Many cheap plastic scrubbers are based on the interwoven mesh form of a natural luffa sponge. Their natural fibers are, of course, plastic-free, and they won’t rust like a stainless steel scrubber. Whether in the kitchen, bathroom, or out in the garage to clean up stubborn grit, loofah sponges are a great and natural way to clean pans, scrub hard-to-reach bits in the shower (mount it on a stick), or wash dirt off your gardening tools.

Besides being great for exfoliating and cleaning pans, they’re also eaten similarly to squash when harvested as small, immature fruits. Young luffa fruit is tasty and commonly used in Southeast Asian and Indian cuisine.

Luffas are easy to grow and can be treated like a cucumber or melon. They are best grown vertically on a trellis. The long vines will be kept up and out of the way, and you’ll get to watch the fruits grow and harvest them at the appropriate size. Mature fruits look like overgrown cucumbers but larger, like a jumbo zucchini, and can reach 2 feet long and 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

Planting

Like most other vegetables we grow, loofahs love full sun. Choose a spot with at least six hours of sunshine per day. But plan ahead—loofah vines get quite large and leafy. Locate their trellis so it won’t shade out other garden plants once the vines have slithered up the verticals and spread out.

Loamy soil, a pH of less than 6.5, and good drainage provide the perfect conditions for loofah. Like other cucurbits, they readily sprout from seed when sown directly in the garden.

When to Plant Loofahs

Seeds can be sown in the garden about the time of your last frost or a week after. Young loofah transplants shouldn’t go into the garden until it’s time to plant tomatoes, about 3 weeks after your last frost when the danger has passed.

Loofahs are ready for harvesting as young edible fruits in 90-100 days, but maturing the fruit on the vine can take 150 days or more. If your frost-free gardening time is shorter, start loofah plants indoors about 4 weeks before your last frost to give them a head start.

How to Plant Loofahs

Directly sow loofah seeds in a prepared soil bed, sowing ¾ inch deep (to the first knuckle on your index finger), cover-up, and water. Drop several seeds in each hole, then thin to the strongest plant. Final plant spacing should be 3-4 feet per plant, with rows widely spaced on trellises.

To start loofahs indoors, plant 2-3 seeds in a four-inch pot in a premoistened seed-starting mix. After germination, thin to one plant per pot. Provide 10 or more hours of bright light.

Growing

Care for loofahs the same as any other vegetable plant in your garden regarding water and fertilizer.

Check the soil moisture with your fingers. If it’s dry an inch down, it’s time to water.
While loofahs will spread vigorously on the trellis, mulch at their base will keep the grass and tall annual weeds from sneaking up with your loofah and going to seed.
Install the trellis when you plant the loofahs to avoid damage later on. It needs to be sturdy; check out this recommendation. Cattle panels, stout fence posts, and wire, or similar heavy-duty systems work well.

Types

The two common species are suitable for growing, whether eating or for sponges. The difference mostly involves the appearance of the fruit. Some people find the texture of L. cylindrica or smooth loofah to be more suited for use on skin than other loofahs.

L. cylindrical (shown above) is smoother. If growing loofas for producing sponges, the smooth luffa is much easier to peel.
L. acutangula (shown below) has more of a ridge appearance. It’s more often used for cooking in Asian cuisine, especially stews and curries.

Purchasing seeds from any reputable vendor or getting them at a seed swap.

Luffa acutangula Hanging On The Tree — Ridged Luffa, *Luffa acutangula*, a delcious edible gourd. Credit: pelangi saturnus.

Harvesting

Loofahs can be harvested immature for eating or fully mature for creating loofah sponges.

Pick loofah fruits when they are less than seven inches long for eating. They can be eaten raw or cooked up like a summer squash. Pick mature loofahs when they’ve turned brown, and the seeds rattle when shaken.

To create a loofah sponge:

Harvest the fruits when they are mature, the skin has turned a bit wrinkly and brown, and the seeds rattle inside. If you are running up against the frosts, you can pick any firm and hard loofahs with skins that have started to toughen up.
Roll, squeeze, or otherwise apply pressure to the outside of the loofah, loosening the skin (if your loofah is brown and hard, wack it on something solid like a bench a few times).
At the flower end opposite the stem, there will be a small circle of skin that can be twisted off like a top. Pop it off.
Shake out the seeds. If the loofah wasn’t quite dry, you may have to wash them out and rinse off any soft material.
Lay the sponges out to dry after cutting the loofahs into smaller pieces if desired.

If you can’t loose the skin, peel by cuting a slit down the side of the loofah with a boxcutter or similar tool.

Gardening Products

Wit and Wisdom

Loofahs make a great vining summer plant for decoration or for practical reasons. If you planted too many and are drowning in loofahs, they make great stocking stuffers.
Loofah sponges can be reused multiple times. If they get dirty or smelly, they can be sterilized in boiling water. When you’ve used them up, toss them in the compost.
If saving seeds, allow the loofah to mature and dry on the vine. Seeds collected from still-green loofahs are often not viable. Good luffa seeds should be dark-colored and hard.

Pests/Diseases

Powdery mildew
Leafminers

Cooking Notes

Luffa acutangula sliced on a cutting board. — *Luffa acutangula*, a popular Asian vegetable. Credit: Yumi ya

Vegetables

About The Author

Andy Wilcox

Andy Wilcox is a flower farmer and master gardener with a passion for soil health, small producers, forestry, and horticulture. Read More from Andy Wilcox