Thanks so much for the great advice! I come from many generations of farmers/gardeners so I get a LOT of advice - much of which I discover is outdated or just plain wrong ("old wives' tales"!). That's why I like to ask people who actually have experience with this specific situation. People have offered me seeds of other gourd types but I always politely refuse for the specific reason of not wanting any cross-pollination. I'm in a rural area (generational family farm) so there is no danger of cross-pollination from neighbors. Thanks again!

There is a bit of truth in that saying. If you are careful to prevent cross pollination AND you select seeds from your best specimens you may actually get better gourds. Variety run out is normally caused by taking seeds from weak or substandard plants.

That's exactly what I did - seeds from the largest gourds with the thickest walls and, as I mentioned, had my best crop last year. I'm taking seeds from the best of those for this year's crop! Thanks again!