The Cucurbit that scrubs you

In everyday non-technical usage, the luffa, also spelled loofah, is Luffa aegyptiaca which is an annual vine, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The fruit of these species is cultivated and eaten as a vegetable. The fruit must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. The vegetable is popular in India, China and Vietnam. When the fruit is fully ripened, it is very fibrous. The fully developed fruit is the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge which is used in bathrooms and kitchens.

Luffa operculata, the miniature wild luffa.

There is a popular, miniature luffa (Luffa operculata) that is offered in the trade as well which makes tiny, 2-3” luffas. So adorable.

Luffa acutangula is another large luffa, also known as angled gourd and pretty much used in the same way as the traditional luffa. Its fruits have a more angled, elongated look.

Revealing luffa’s fiber on a mature fruit.

 Luffa are not frost-hardy, and require 150 to 200 warm days to mature. So you will want to plant from seed as early as you can (indoors or in a greenhouse before frost or direct seed as soon as possible and protect young seedlings from any frosts). Plant in full sun, with amended garden soil, and regular, even watering. Feed occasionally with an organic fertilizer. Give these vines plenty of room to grow.

Harvest young fruits to eat, or let them ripen for the “luffa”. Luffa are best eaten when small (less than 4.5 inches in length) and still green. They are traditionally cooked in a variety of ways all throughout Asia.