Gourds are the oldest cultivated plant known to humanity. They originated in Africa and floated to other continents on the oceans of the world. Many cultures have gourds in their creation stories. Masks, drums, rattles, and vessels are still held sacred in the healing and spiritual practices of the Earth's indigenous peoples.

By their very form and function, gourds imply the feminine. Nurturing within the seeds of tomorrow's promise, she is as pregnant and protective as any mother can be. In Her honor this garden is planted. We look forward to 2000 participants  growing in this fourth generation garden begun in 1996, with 13 women and Lenny the Gourd Guy -- we have certainly grown! We have made a year's commitment to not only work with the Earth but in doing so to nurture our dreams experiencing the garden as art and metaphor.

In the fall we celebrated harvest with the Fourth Annual Goddess Gourd Festival, coming together to share stories, journals, and images. After winter's dormancy, emerging from the dark, we will reunite in the Summer of 2000 to bury a Gourd Time Capsule that will commemorate this global garden, the millennium and our labors of love. All gardens are invited to participate and contribute photos and memoirs into the Time Capsule!

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