The bottle gourd probably originated in Africa and from there was widely distributed in pre-Columbian times, perhaps by floating on the seas. It traveled to India, where it has evolved into numerous local varieties, and from India to China, Indonesia, and as far as New Zealand. Archaeological remains show that the bottle gourd was used in Egypt about 3500 to 3300 B.C.

Bottle Gourds require a long hot season and so need to be in a polytunnel or greenhouse. Sow the seed in late April or early May, in pots of compost. Keep in a propagator or warm windowsill until germinated. Plant out in the final growing positions 60cm apart when nights have warmed up a bit. Keep well watered.

Provide a string or stake for the plants to grow up.

When bottle gourds are to be used as containers, they may be constricted by bands to make particular shapes. The gourds are permitted to obtain a maximum maturity on the vine before harvest. When harvested with a short length of vine, they can be hung from wires below a hot ceiling, where they slowly dry out.
Another technique is to fill the partially cleaned gourds with clean, dry sand, and cover them with sand in a container. This is heated over a fire for several days, drying out the gourds. Patterns may be cut into the gourds before they are dried, or the shells may be forced into desired shapes. Dried gourds are cleaned, painted, shellacked, or waxed. Well-treated gourds become durable containers. The dry hard shells are used for bottles, milk pots, churns, bowls, ladles, spoons, work baskets, floats, pipes, carved objects, and musical instruments. Gourds may also be made into bird nesting boxes.