Dennis, Becky, and Emily
Hatfield have been growing and
crafting hardshell gourds since 1987. In 1993 we planted 10 acres of
gourds and in
1994 began shipping gourds to crafters in the USA, Canada, Alaska, and some
foreign countries. Currently, we have about 30+ acres devoted to gourd
growing and 4 acres of fresh market and "U-Pik" tomatoes.
After we began taking phone
orders and shipping gourds, we discovered that because of the many diverse
shapes of hardshell gourds, it was difficult to understand clearly what shape
customers had in mind. In 1994 we selected several hundred different
shapes of gourds and organized them by commonly
accepted descriptive shapes. This gourd chart has led to better
communication and customer satisfaction. Pictures of the gourds can be
seen by clicking on the
"Expanded Gourd Chart"
link button.
Because gourd shapes can mutate through cross-pollination,
we may have some shapes now which do not appear on this chart.
There are several pictures from the 2001 crop on the link page
Gourd Crop 2002.
The gourd
farm is open (Monday - Saturday) year round. Visitors often come
while on vacation and many travel here specifically to shop
for gourds...see
Map
for directions.
We call it a "Gourd Supermarket"
since most of
the gourds have been hand sorted by diameter and similar shapes. They are
laid out in rows under the shade of several black walnut trees. (Click on
the thumbnail picture below to view some of the gourds).
