Growing Luffa, also Loofah, plant sponge

17 Aug 24 Rebecca (USA - Zone 7a climate): Im in 7a & planted luffa in mid-April. They look great & are all over the trellis. Lots of clusters of male & female flowers. Zero established gourds yet & it's mid-August. I planted w/ the expectation of a harvest around late September mid-October. Should I be concerned by the lack of gourds at this point? It is the only thing i planted & i have a lot of time in on them. Everything looks totally healthy (this is in an organic community garden) but i'm feeling worried that this is going to end up being a race against the weather and i wont have any gourds at all? Any input, guidance, or thoughts are welcome!
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03 Apr 25 Elaine (USA - Zone 9b climate): I see you wrote this last year. How did you get on? If your loofah plants aren’t providing any fruit it could be lack of pollinators. If you decide to try growing them again this year it could be beneficial to pollinate the flowers by hand with a paint brush or Q-tip. Brush inside a male flower to collect some pollen, then immediately brush inside a female flower. If you can’t tell the difference just brush inside all your flowers randomly, you’re sure to pollinate at least some of your flowers. Good luck!
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