Learn How to Grow Loofahs and Never Buy Another Sponge

Ahh, you amazing cleaning tool that we call the sponge. Oh, how we love thee! But you have done us wrong! If not just the fact that you over time cost us vast amounts of money, now we are faced with the fact that you are poisoning us. Therefore we shall grow loofahs like the hippys and toss your microplastic-producing square-shaped head to the curb!

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Too much? haha UGH, how I wish it was not true. I remember a few years back throwing away all my plastic containers and talking to everyone I knew about the dangers of PFAS and Microplastics. I got blank stares, half smiles, nods, and looks like I was crazy as I pulled out reports from Alaska’s government websites talking about their toxic lands and how hunters shouldn’t hunt due to PFAS Advisories just to prove I wasn’t crazy. It felt like I was the only person I knew who stumbled onto this craziness. Now it is like everyone is talking about it. It is in the news, and on social media, and now people are seeing it. I feel like finally, they know. Yet, I hate that it wasn’t some made-up story.

What is the big deal about PFAS and Microplastics?

Well the Untiversiy of California said it best when they said, “Chemicals like BPA, phthalates and PFAS can mimic human hormones, the body’s chemical messengers controlling processes like reproduction, growth and metabolism. Exposure to these substances has been shown to increase the risk of everything from infertility to poorer fetal development and cancer.” And microplastics derive from the break down of these chemicals.

So we can’t fix everything. And I don’t want to be the crazy lady writing scary posts, by any means. But I do want you to know the drive I had to start looking into how to replace such items in my home that I needed with better alternatives. I got rid of plastic containers. I traded out saran wrap for Bee’s Wrap.

And then one day I was thinking about my sponge. We have a well. Our water runs through our home cycles through a septic system and sprays out into our yards. The water seeps through the ground to the water table and up our pipes, and it goes again. It is a beautiful system. But I started to wonder how much plastic had I – or the people before me – tossed out in our yard just by washing dishes. I thought about how my sponges and scouring pads broke down and we replaced them over and over.

Yes – I have asked myself 100 times, “When did I become a hippy?”

But where do the broken pieces of sponge go? Well, it goes into my yard. It goes to sprinklers that spray in my grass. My chickens and my ducks eat bugs and grass that grow there. And the animals can become full of toxic microplastics just as they did in Alaska and other areas I had read about. And I thought this was horrible. Not just for me. But for my children and grandchildren. And so I stopped using sponges from the store and searched for a more natural alternative.

I had a memory from when I was a teenager I had a friend whose mother grew these amazing vegetables and would then use them as sponges. I set out to figure out what they were. And after a little bit of research, I stumbled upon this amazing vegetable that grows on the Luffa Aegyptiaca Plant.

So wait! I know what you are thinking. These are vegetables? Yes, yes they are. They do not grow in the ocean! When the plant is young you can eat the luffa’s gourds. They can be eaten raw like a cucumber or cooked like a squash. Grilled, sauteed, or baked…they are pretty tasty vegetables. You can even cook them in recipes replacing the zucchini in zucchini bread. The flowers are edible as well. But when they are old – they are tough and STRINGY. Those strings are what make up the amazing “Loofah Sponges” that we have all come to love. YUP You can grow loofahs easily! The very ones you see all the time in the bath aisle of the store.

How to Grow Loofahs…

So how in the world do you grow these guys!? It is super easy! The first thing to do to grow loofahs is to buy some seeds. Lucky for you, if you need some, we sell them. (wink)

They are a vining plant. You will need to have a place for them to climb. They are not picky though. A fence is simple enough. But a word of caution… they grow fast and long and they are wonderful! They produce a beautiful yellow flower that eventually becomes the luffa gourd.

How long must I wait?

The luffa takes about 90 – 130 days to produce and about 200 days until it is ready to be harvested for sponges. They love full sun and they love to be watered regularly. So if you want to grow loofahs in the northern regions, you may want to start your seeds indoors and transplant them outdoors once the threat of frost has passed.

Luffas have separate male and female flowers. If you live in an area where you tend to have a hard time with your squash/gourd plants growing you can easily hand pollinate them by using a paintbrush to transfer pollen from the male flower to the female.

After that, sit back and enjoy. They are beautiful and are such fun to grow.

Allow your Luffa Gourd to grow until it dies. Leave it on the vine and let it turn brown. Then snip them off the vine and bring them inside. They usually at this point are very dry and you can shake them and hear the seeds rumble around inside of them. They remind me of a musical instrument.

Now show me the Sponge!

Tools Needed:

Bowl
Scissors

To create the sponge is super easy. The first thing to do is get a large bowl. You will want to cut one end of the sponge off and shake it gently into the bowl. The seeds will fall out as you shake it. Turn it around, cut the other side, and shake again.

Once you have removed the seeds, simply peel off the outer layer of dry skin.

After your sponge is peeled you may see some seeds still inside. I usually do not worry about them too much. When I am ready to cut the sponge into the size desired I use scissors and just cut them. Any seeds that were stuck in there usually fall out at this point. If there is a stubborn one you can use something like a butter knife or a chopstick to stick in the sponge to pluck it out.

Here is a quick video to show you how.