My girlfriends family has a property from 1940s and gourds grow wild there it blew my mind. I snatch up as many as I can every fall. Good vibes being sent from Connecticut!
I have to give you credit bud. You are so aware of an ever evolving symbiotic relationship with every aspect of your farm. You are constantly using old and new technology to create the relationships necessary for a collaborative effort of all your animals and systems. You must have done a lot of research over the years to see how to use different aspects of the farm for each other’s benefit. It’s refreshing to see your farm come together and hard work pay off for you!
Thank you. We have small birds here in Phoenix, Arizona, they are Cactus Wrens. they like the city because of the water we put out. I never thought of using Gourds. I have been making wood bird houses.
A study was done as to the type of housing Purple Martins prefer. 1st choice - a gourd painted white, 2nd choice - a gourd left unpainted, 3rd choice - the wooden or or metal (painted white) apartment complexes. Gourds have so many uses! Over 40 years ago I made a drinking cup out of a gourd and have used it everyday since ... still in perfect shape.
How did you make the drinking cup? Did you treat it somehow so that it would not be affected by liquid, does drying it properly do that? Any tips would be much appreciated!
@@charlescoker7752 - These people insist on making false claims because it is a common "myth" that they have heard. Bats and dragonflies are two of the best predators of adult mosquitoes!
Thank you for posting this video. You answered all of my questions. I live in Texas and the Purple Martin is in my area! Can't wait to plant and harvest. I do not have a farm but my home is on 4 acres and surrounded by woods. Be well. 😊
Several additional tidbits of information. Plant the gourds along your fence line. When the fruit starts to form, throw the gourd over the top wire of the fence so the weight of the seed sack elongates the neck. Otherwise, you get a bent and twisted neck. Secondly, do not mount your houses on a wire between trees. When the wind blows, both trees will sway back and forth. You will end up with a broken wire. Purple martinis are great for mosquitoes but they only fly during the day. Bats, on the other hand, fly all night. Build houses for both and don't forget the bleach cleaning and tobacco "insecticide" every year. Lastly, Josh...you have a huge following. Start selling your leftover seeds to your followers.
We have had a Martin house for many years. Ours is on a pole about 15 ft. high. My wife refused to let me build a bat house even after I told her that they'll eat more mosquitoes. We have made Bluebird houses out of gourds. The hole has to be small to keep the Sparrows from taking over them.
Years ago my Dad built a Marten apartment house with some dimensions specifically appealing to Martens . One of the main ones was the hole size and placement above the bottom for the entrance. These dimensions were provided by a National Marten enthusiasts group he was able to find. Mind you that this was over 40 years ago If I recall the opening was just under 1 inch and the reason given was to make it more difficult for some predators to attack the nest and young . You might want to research this as this and more information may be available to aid in your sucess in attracting a Marten colony. If you are successful in attracting a colony you will be rewarded by not only insect control but also the opportunity to observe these birds activity which occurs in the last hour or so before sundown , a good time to wind down for the day.
The hole size for purple martins is 2 to 2 1/4 inches. A purple Martin is one of the largest birds of the swallow family and wouldn't fit in a hole that was under an inch.
This was sooo informative. I mean, I knew people use them as bird houses, but I didn’t know why. Looking forward to growing these and trying it. Thanks for educating me.
I once built a Taj Mahal kind of martin bird house with many apartments in it. It sat on a pole in the yard. I was very fortunate to get martins the first year. I had a lot of trouble with sparrows coming first and when the martins arrived there were major battles for possession. It really did help with skeeter control.
Our family just discovered you and we're in love with your channel. Currently, we're looking at properties around AVL for a mini farm. We will be watching everything you do! Thank you so much for making practical videos. Hope we meet up some day!
Have you ever consider putting up bat houses also? I think bats and Martins can co-exist because they feed at different times also the bats will be a less strain on your bees.
Great idea! I've never seen Martins, but lots of folks around here will encourage barn swallows in their outbuildings where possible. We have about 10 nests in our old bank barn. In the Spring/Summer/Fall you can see all these pretty, iridescent blue/purple swallows swooping through pastures down in the hollers. The beauty of these pest control birds in action really makes you appreciate God's design vs Man's design of copious insecticide and pesticide. It makes you realize you're going about things the right way. As Thomas Jefferson said "In matters of fashion, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock"
Dutch sent us to your channel love it. Loads of info, we only have 1 1/2 acre and my wife and I are in our 60s and are not in great shape. We are thinking about a few chickens over the summer. Not over the winter though. No questions yet but I am sure we will have some soon. Love the bloopers at the end. If I tried to vlog, the whole video would be a blooper.
Because there didn't used to be a "pill" for everything...seems nowadays folks look for another chemical to spray instead of seeking a holistic sustainable solution..fly spray on our beef? No thanks..I'll stick with birds for insect control
FYI . . . Purple martins aren't a tiny bird, unless you're comparing them to a raven or eagle. They are 8" long (not wingspan). They are actually the largest in their species.
What a fun project, thanks for sharing. Please do a video that shows how you hang the gourds, how high, and how far apart. Also, I just want to see your Martin colony :)
Hey! Best video I have seen on making Gourd Birdhouses! ❤ You don't spray the inside of the Gourd with anything? Some other videos put vent holes and ledges and roofs, etc. I want simple and functional. I remember my Great Grandmother had an actual Martin House up high on a pole, but, she, also, hung gourds along the fence line.
Well I like your video. I've got to mention though a couple of things To use a larger gourd. They need to have room for 6 Martins, two adults plus their nearly grown fledglings. Also I wish you wouldn't advertise them as mosquito killers cause very very little of their diet are mosquitoes if any. The problem is most mosquitoes come out at night and Martins are in their house asleep at night. Well and also mosquitoes don't fly as high as Martins normally Sail. Martins do dip down on the lake to scoop of water mostly the drink. Also another thing that sucks kind of bad about the mosquito thing is that Martins catch dragonflies. Dragonflies actually catch mosquitoes! So I used to be told back when I was a kid that a Martin would eat his weight in mosquitoes every day, which means they have to eat somewhere around 15,000 mosquitoes a day. And I thought about it and started making Martin back about 40 years ago when I bought my own place on a lake. Then I got involved with the purple martin Association. Check them out there called the pmca. They have a lot of great info and you can send in your early tracking of Martins and it helps them out. I reckon a lot of Scouts will come through but they're actually going further north if they don't stay because that's where they took up their residence. Some Martins as they come and start back south with the new ones oh, the new ones are the ones that are looking for homes. Just so I've heard or read rather. But hey just thought I'd mention that. I watch your channel fairly often. Have a good day
Thanks - making my first ones this year from gourds I grew decades ago. Do you install a roosting pole below the hole so the birds can land on it before entering the gourd? I did not think of the paint idea. Mine will be going to Utah so I will paint them white.
I thought Martian houses had to be a certain distance off the ground. I’ve always seen them mounted on poles looking like a bird hotel with a bunch of compartments.
Thank you for your video on gourds. I live in north central Canada. Sadly our growing season isn’t long enough to grow your huge gourds. Where can I buy those lovely birdhouse sized gourds? Sadly Amazon is always sold out. Thanks
I loved this video. We're planting birdhouse gourds this spring. How did these work out for you? I noticed your posted this video in the Spring of '20. One other question for you: Did you clean your gourds every so often as they dried? I have heard some folks say that they tend to get a lot of mold on them; many folks store them in the rafters of their barns or sheds to dry. Your situation might be a little different with them being outside. Thanks for this video. Cheers.
11:23 mark 😆 love it. If this was my video I would of dropped it too. These gourds turned into 🐦 houses (or something else) is a wonderful idea! Your videos are always so fun, helpful, different, and real! Thanks Stoney Ridge Farmer 🚜
Just be aware that Martins return from South America in the spring. In North Carolina the scouts arrive around the first of March (weather permitting), the rest arrive around the first of April. SOOOOOO, have your gourds up before the first of March or you'll be waiting for another whole year. Also make sure that you take them down and clean them out EVERY YEAR before March. Martins rarely nest in a dirty gourd or house.
Such an awesome video. I was just watching Greg Judy’s video on tree swallows (to help with flies on cows) but they are very numerous here in Alabama, but hopefully martins will occupy our gourds! One question, you mentioned the angled top hole but I don’t think you came back to the “why”. So why should the top hole be angled in the gourd? Thanks so much for your time!
What's your plan for keeping English sparrows out of your martin houses? With that large an entry hole you might even have starlings trying to nest in them.
There's a company up here in Pennsylvania that makes all kinds of gourd items. They dip all their gourds in paint, rather than fuss with spraying them.
If you had chickens to eat the fly larvae in the cow poop it would help a lot! You can even throw crack corn or scratch on the cow poop and the chicken will eat the maggots before they turn to flys!!
Been seeing you on my RUclips "feed" for quite awhile but never clicked, I did today and glad I did! Great video. I try to take the Same approach, I have bat houses, owl boxes, bird houses, e.t.c... let mother nature do the dirty work for ya and take out the bugs/mice that you don't want around. Just subscribed to your channel
Hi guy! Great video but as a specialist who works with hands, be easy on your hands, just use another soft surface to tap the gourds to shake off the seeds. You use your hands so much already. God bless you and keep healthy.
Hey Josh. I'm looking for a video you show a couple that converted a school bus to an RV. Can you send or provide the link? Will greatly appreciate it.
Most people welcome Purple Martin neighbors, as these birds are agile hunters and eat large quantities of winged insects. (However, contrary to popular belief, mosquitoes do not form a large part of their diet.)
Martin gourds!!! I can remember making these with my maw maw & granddaddy.
but why is your profile pic a rapist and self proclaimed sex offender
My girlfriends family has a property from 1940s and gourds grow wild there it blew my mind. I snatch up as many as I can every fall. Good vibes being sent from Connecticut!
My friend puts a marble or two into a small hole in gourd and shake vigorously. They break up fibers inside, now dump out.
I have to give you credit bud. You are so aware of an ever evolving symbiotic relationship with every aspect of your farm. You are constantly using old and new technology to create the relationships necessary for a collaborative effort of all your animals and systems. You must have done a lot of research over the years to see how to use different aspects of the farm for each other’s benefit. It’s refreshing to see your farm come together and hard work pay off for you!
Thank you. We have small birds here in Phoenix, Arizona, they are Cactus Wrens. they like the city because of the water we put out. I never thought of using Gourds. I have been making wood bird houses.
A study was done as to the type of housing Purple Martins prefer. 1st choice - a gourd painted white, 2nd choice - a gourd left unpainted, 3rd choice - the wooden or or metal (painted white) apartment complexes. Gourds have so many uses! Over 40 years ago I made a drinking cup out of a gourd and have used it everyday since ... still in perfect shape.
Interesting!!
How did you make the drinking cup? Did you treat it somehow so that it would not be affected by liquid, does drying it properly do that? Any tips would be much appreciated!
@@charlescoker7752 - These people insist on making false claims because it is a common "myth" that they have heard. Bats and dragonflies are two of the best predators of adult mosquitoes!
@@Joie-de-Vivre33 treat the inside with melted beeswax & the outside with beeswax/coconut oil mix
Thank you for posting this video. You answered all of my questions. I live in Texas and the Purple Martin is in my area! Can't wait to plant and harvest. I do not have a farm but my home is on 4 acres and surrounded by woods. Be well. 😊
Several additional tidbits of information. Plant the gourds along your fence line. When the fruit starts to form, throw the gourd over the top wire of the fence so the weight of the seed sack elongates the neck. Otherwise, you get a bent and twisted neck. Secondly, do not mount your houses on a wire between trees. When the wind blows, both trees will sway back and forth. You will end up with a broken wire. Purple martinis are great for mosquitoes but they only fly during the day. Bats, on the other hand, fly all night. Build houses for both and don't forget the bleach cleaning and tobacco "insecticide" every year. Lastly, Josh...you have a huge following. Start selling your leftover seeds to your followers.
Bleach and tobacco cleaning??
We have had a Martin house for many years. Ours is on a pole about 15 ft. high. My wife refused to let me build a bat house even after I told her that they'll eat more mosquitoes. We have made Bluebird houses out of gourds. The hole has to be small to keep the Sparrows from taking over them.
Your wife saved you from COVID-20, that's a way of seeing it 😂
@@fenrirgg 😅😂😂😂
I really appreciate what you've done here on youtube Josh.
Years ago my Dad built a Marten apartment house with some dimensions specifically appealing to Martens . One of the main ones was the hole size and placement above the bottom for the entrance.
These dimensions were provided by a National Marten enthusiasts group he was able to find. Mind you that this was over 40 years ago
If I recall the opening was just under 1 inch and the reason given was to make it more difficult for some predators to attack the nest and young .
You might want to research this as this and more information may be available to aid in your sucess in attracting a Marten colony.
If you are successful in attracting a colony you will be rewarded by not only insect control but also the opportunity to observe these birds activity which occurs in the last hour or so before sundown , a good time to wind down for the day.
The hole size for purple martins is 2 to 2 1/4 inches. A purple Martin is one of the largest birds of the swallow family and wouldn't fit in a hole that was under an inch.
This was sooo informative. I mean, I knew people use them as bird houses, but I didn’t know why. Looking forward to growing these and trying it. Thanks for educating me.
I once built a Taj Mahal kind of martin bird house with many apartments in it. It sat on a pole in the yard. I was very fortunate to get martins the first year. I had a lot of trouble with sparrows coming first and when the martins arrived there were major battles for possession. It really did help with skeeter control.
Good video! More people need to put these up around their cattle.
Great looking gourds. Looks like an easy make. I will try to get some of these and start my colony. Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting video Josh. Look forward to seeing them installed.
Your video is the best! Thank you for the knowledge of creating the birdhouse. I’m making 8 of them as Christmas presents this year for my loved ones.
Our family just discovered you and we're in love with your channel. Currently, we're looking at properties around AVL for a mini farm. We will be watching everything you do! Thank you so much for making practical videos. Hope we meet up some day!
As always simple fun n effective. Stoney Ridge never disappoints. 👍
Have you ever consider putting up bat houses also? I think bats and Martins can co-exist because they feed at different times also the bats will be a less strain on your bees.
Good morning josh glad to see you are doing good and i look forward to your videos on saturdays
This will be fun for the kids. I’m gonna have to plant some gourds. Mosquitoes are getting bad up here...
Great idea! I've never seen Martins, but lots of folks around here will encourage barn swallows in their outbuildings where possible. We have about 10 nests in our old bank barn. In the Spring/Summer/Fall you can see all these pretty, iridescent blue/purple swallows swooping through pastures down in the hollers.
The beauty of these pest control birds in action really makes you appreciate God's design vs Man's design of copious insecticide and pesticide. It makes you realize you're going about things the right way.
As Thomas Jefferson said "In matters of fashion, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock"
Very nice Josh. The entry hole in our Martin houses are way smaller that 2 1/4". We have about 50 Martins every year and they are great.
Cool Martin houses!! What a good life!
That’s awesome man, I always wondered what the old timers used gourds for.
Enjoy watching your video
I'm growing birdhouse gourds for the first time. Can't wait to have a bunch of Purple Martin's on the farm.
I want a skeeter eater colony at my house! Thanks Josh!
Dutch sent us to your channel love it. Loads of info, we only have 1 1/2 acre and my wife and I are in our 60s and are not in great shape. We are thinking about a few chickens over the summer. Not over the winter though. No questions yet but I am sure we will have some soon. Love the bloopers at the end. If I tried to vlog, the whole video would be a blooper.
Great job man special thanks from Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
Great video 👍👍 I never understood why you only see them houses around older farms .. Thanks stay safe & god bless
Because there didn't used to be a "pill" for everything...seems nowadays folks look for another chemical to spray instead of seeking a holistic sustainable solution..fly spray on our beef? No thanks..I'll stick with birds for insect control
FYI . . . Purple martins aren't a tiny bird, unless you're comparing them to a raven or eagle. They are 8" long (not wingspan). They are actually the largest in their species.
Hey Josh thank you for the video I enjoyed it and I was looking forward to seeing the video I'm what you showed us here now on RUclips
They eat bugs- yes. They also unload on every nearby target. Keep your cars and trucks well waxed.
yup 😂
Keep the gourd houses and the cars well separated, yeah?
Only if you're dumb enough to park near the gourds!
My grandpa use to grow them. I just started some to get the tradition back going.
Genius. I love it.
What a fun project, thanks for sharing. Please do a video that shows how you hang the gourds, how high, and how far apart. Also, I just want to see your Martin colony :)
coming soon!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmerplease do the video on your pole setup
I love you energy and you wonderful human approach to your channel. You are charming too.
Thanks for teaching and entertaining. When i put your video on the TV it draws EVERYONE in the house that walks by. Not many RUclips's can do that.
That is awesome!
Hey! Best video I have seen on making Gourd Birdhouses! ❤ You don't spray the inside of the Gourd with anything? Some other videos put vent holes and ledges and roofs, etc. I want simple and functional. I remember my Great Grandmother had an actual Martin House up high on a pole, but, she, also, hung gourds along the fence line.
Hi..... Thank you 🎥👍👍👍
Well I like your video. I've got to mention though a couple of things To use a larger gourd. They need to have room for 6 Martins, two adults plus their nearly grown fledglings. Also I wish you wouldn't advertise them as mosquito killers cause very very little of their diet are mosquitoes if any. The problem is most mosquitoes come out at night and Martins are in their house asleep at night. Well and also mosquitoes don't fly as high as Martins normally Sail. Martins do dip down on the lake to scoop of water mostly the drink. Also another thing that sucks kind of bad about the mosquito thing is that Martins catch dragonflies. Dragonflies actually catch mosquitoes! So I used to be told back when I was a kid that a Martin would eat his weight in mosquitoes every day, which means they have to eat somewhere around 15,000 mosquitoes a day. And I thought about it and started making Martin back about 40 years ago when I bought my own place on a lake. Then I got involved with the purple martin Association. Check them out there called the pmca. They have a lot of great info and you can send in your early tracking of Martins and it helps them out. I reckon a lot of Scouts will come through but they're actually going further north if they don't stay because that's where they took up their residence. Some Martins as they come and start back south with the new ones oh, the new ones are the ones that are looking for homes. Just so I've heard or read rather. But hey just thought I'd mention that. I watch your channel fairly often. Have a good day
Thanks - making my first ones this year from gourds I grew decades ago. Do you install a roosting pole below the hole so the birds can land on it before entering the gourd? I did not think of the paint idea. Mine will be going to Utah so I will paint them white.
Saved video for future. Gonna get it going with seeds or buy some Gourds.
Hello my good friend, nice to see you again. Just over at Dutch's place and was thinking of your Channel. Cool gourd trick
The gourd with the long thin neck is not a birdhouse gourd ! It is a dipper gourd.😁😉
Watching from Hawaii
Everyone in my community seemed like had martin houses and gourds. That is on my list of to do's now. Thanks for the video.
I was sold once you dropped it and it was solid.. nature is amazing.. how long does it take to grow the gourds?
takes a growing season to grow them my friend...plant in late summer..harvest in fall
Very Gourd vid...Martins can mess up mosquitos
Very interesting, good job.
You are delightful!
I thought Martian houses had to be a certain distance off the ground. I’ve always seen them mounted on poles looking like a bird hotel with a bunch of compartments.
Love the idea and taken them nasty mosquitos out.
Thank you for your video on gourds. I live in north central Canada. Sadly our growing season isn’t long enough to grow your huge gourds. Where can I buy those lovely birdhouse sized gourds? Sadly Amazon is always sold out. Thanks
I grow them every year I could give you a bunch if you don’t mind paying for shipping.
Josh, you're just a cool guy!
I loved this video. We're planting birdhouse gourds this spring. How did these work out for you? I noticed your posted this video in the Spring of '20. One other question for you: Did you clean your gourds every so often as they dried? I have heard some folks say that they tend to get a lot of mold on them; many folks store them in the rafters of their barns or sheds to dry. Your situation might be a little different with them being outside. Thanks for this video. Cheers.
11:23 mark 😆 love it. If this was my video I would of dropped it too. These gourds turned into 🐦 houses (or something else) is a wonderful idea! Your videos are always so fun, helpful, different, and real! Thanks Stoney Ridge Farmer 🚜
Thank you for your time. Great video ❤
I really enjoy your channel.
I might try to grow some of them
Like a 🥥 😁 🚜-Woooooo!!!
WOOOOOO!!!🇺🇸 What kind of gourds are those so I can purchase some seeds 🇺🇸
I live in the blue ridge, just over the boarder in VA is it too late to plant gourds this year!
I love this idea.
nope....plant away! Harvest in fall! I took all the seeds from this and spread them about on the farm
Just be aware that Martins return from South America in the spring. In North Carolina the scouts arrive around the first of March (weather permitting), the rest arrive around the first of April. SOOOOOO, have your gourds up before the first of March or you'll be waiting for another whole year. Also make sure that you take them down and clean them out EVERY YEAR before March. Martins rarely nest in a dirty gourd or house.
Great project 😎👍✌️👊
Such an awesome video. I was just watching Greg Judy’s video on tree swallows (to help with flies on cows) but they are very numerous here in Alabama, but hopefully martins will occupy our gourds! One question, you mentioned the angled top hole but I don’t think you came back to the “why”. So why should the top hole be angled in the gourd? Thanks so much for your time!
*arent
the loose material will come off in the dishwater with a scrubbie too:)
Cool idea
Excellent!
What's your plan for keeping English sparrows out of your martin houses? With that large an entry hole you might even have starlings trying to nest in them.
What a great video presentation ❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
There's a company up here in Pennsylvania that makes all kinds of gourd items. They dip all their gourds in paint, rather than fuss with spraying them.
interesting....I guess we could try that method next time
Me: A Floridian browsing RUclips.
*Sees "Mosquitoes" and "Away"
Also Me: *clicking intensifies*
Martins don't keep mosquitoes away. www.lcmcd.com/faqs/do-purple-martins-help-reduce-mosquitoes/
Put a marble inside gourd and shake then pour out
I put old window screens in the rafters of my garden shed and dry them up there.
great idea!
A cement mixer and a few shovels of sand will get them nice and clean.
If you had chickens to eat the fly larvae in the cow poop it would help a lot! You can even throw crack corn or scratch on the cow poop and the chicken will eat the maggots before they turn to flys!!
Great idea for the homestead. Can you put a rain cover over the entry hole.?
Holes are too big starlings will attack baby birds. I had swallows made hole small so only the swallows could get in.
Been seeing you on my RUclips "feed" for quite awhile but never clicked, I did today and glad I did! Great video. I try to take the Same approach, I have bat houses, owl boxes, bird houses, e.t.c... let mother nature do the dirty work for ya and take out the bugs/mice that you don't want around. Just subscribed to your channel
Very cool 😎👍🏼
Someone had an extra cup of coffee this morning! Lol still a good video.
better than boring and dull right!
Great channel man thanks for sharing. Great content. 🙏👍🏻
Hi guy! Great video but as a specialist who works with hands, be easy on your hands, just use another soft surface to tap the gourds to shake off the seeds. You use your hands so much already. God bless you and keep healthy.
Thanku
Josh did you ever catch the honey bee swarm ?
good idea!
Hey Josh. I'm looking for a video you show a couple that converted a school bus to an RV. Can you send or provide the link? Will greatly appreciate it.
Is that hole the rite size? Looks a bit large.
How about a nighttime drone shot of the fence with the lights on. Has to look cool.
Agreed. Will get other birds and swallows
Do you ever save the gourd seeds to plant the next year?
yep...that's exactly what I do
Wonder if these would be beneficial here in the Pacific Northwest?...🤔
Will they use these if you hang them along a tree line. Or do they need to be out in the open? I always see them on long wires between poles.
I would like to know how this works attracting bids . Let us know . Thanks
This was great thanks for sharing 👍🏼
What keeps wasps from building nest in there? I like the idea what kind of afraid of wasps.
Very cool! Didn't know.
Can you use the seeds come the grole
Hello farm Claremont NC
Most people welcome Purple Martin neighbors, as these birds are agile hunters and eat large quantities of winged insects. (However, contrary to popular belief, mosquitoes do not form a large part of their diet.)
Do you use wire or string to hold the gourd to the posts? Won’t it rip apart?
we'll use wire