giant bottle gourds; bushel basket gourds, their size being that of their namesake; dipper gourds with long, straight necks; and birdhouse gourds. All of them are fun to grow and decorate.

Their name is derived from the fact that they can grow to the size of a bushel basket. In the Neptunes’ case, though, their gourd was far above average. The elder Neptune, a resident of New ...