I would assume since they will be cross-pollinated the fruit will be different than the original plant would yield.I do know that gourd seeds from dried gourds I have purchsed don't always turn out to be the same kind of gourd,mainly because the original gourd was grown from hybrid seeds.I have not grown any myself yet but sent some seeds to a friend in OK and they turned out not to be the same kind of gourd as the original.Good luck with them.I plan to plant some this year just to see what I get!....Lillie

uh oh, that could mean trouble.

The fruits will come out like it should, BUT their seeds will be the ones that will be no good or grow something entirely not the parent plant.
A gourd plant can be pollinated from a different kind and then that gourd will produce seeds that may grow true, deformed, like the fater and there can be a chance it can be pollinated more then once and that fruit can produce seeds tah will grow a few different types of gourd

Sandy

you can grow them all together just fine, just dont plan on saving seeds unless you know how to isolate your blossoms and protect them from cross pollination

bethlaf-Thanks for that information.......Lillie

I had an interesting experience a couple of years ago with seed saved from the previous year's saved squash seed. I had planted spaghetti squash, banana squash, and one other variety, all in the same close proximity.

I planted the saved seed the following year. I had some large "banana" squash, that turned out to be huge spaghetti squash. The vine from another plant had crept through a shrub dividing my neighbor's property from mine. They told me about a squash that was on the vine. I told them to just pick it and enjoy it. A bit later, they thanked me for this (3rd) variety of squash I had given them.

Short intro: I'm new to gardening, and newer to gourds, but I'll be trying a few this year (luffa, corsican, and long-handled dipper)

Anyway. Over on the tomato forum, in the FAQ, there's an article about "bagging blossoms" with tulle or some other kind of small mesh to prevent cross-pollination. IIRC, tomato blossoms are self-fertilizing, so all you have to do is put the bag on and shake the blossoms when they bloom, then mark them somehow so you know which fruit wasn't cross pollinated (or you can leave the bag on until the fruit is ready.)

I wonder if a modified method might work for gourds... such as putting on the bags the female flowers, then taking them off to hand-pollinate, then put the bags back on ...?

Here is a link that might be useful: How Do I Prevent Tomatoes from Cross-pollinating

thorspippi if you hand pollinate when the female gourd blossom opens, and then tie off the blossom you won't have any trouble with cross pollination. I've spent many a night hand pollinating a large field of gourds, and wouldn't do it any other way :)

I know this thread is a little old, but there seems to be a dab of mis-information about cross pollination of gourds.

Squash, ornamentals and other yellow flowered squash-family plants will NOT cross pollinate with hard-shelled gourd plants, period. Case in point, you cannot cross an ornamental spoon, egg gourd, or tennessee spinner with a bottle gourd, bushel gourd etc. You CAN cross a bushel with a dipper, and an egg with a spoon etc.... Plants with white flowers (the hardshell gourd) can cross with other white blossomed gourd plants. Gourd and squash plants with yellow flowers can cross with other plants with yellow flowers and so on.

cool!