Did you know you can grow luffas in San Francisco? I didn’t. I always thought luffa (aka loofah) sponges came from the sea. Turns out, they’re actually related to cucumbers. Who knew?

We read about it online and figured, why not try? Our house has a central atrium, which stays about 10 degrees warmer than outside. That makes a big difference in foggy San Francisco, where it’s usually too cold for warm-weather vegetables. The atrium is covered, so even on foggy days it can hit the 70s or 80s. Perfect for growing loofahs.

The space isn’t big, but it’s tall. And loofahs need height. The vines grow up to 15 feet.

We ordered seeds online. Luffa seeds have a hard shell, so before soaking them, I snip the tip off. That helps the water soak in. After a couple of days, some start sprouting. Those go into pots outside in the atrium.

Luffas take their time. The vines grow slowly at first, then they really accelerate. But it’s about two months before they start flowering. We set up ropes, 10 feet up, then horizontally across the patio. The vines climb up and spread out.

Luffas have two types of flowers: male and female. Since I’m growing them in an enclosed space, there are no bees. So I have to play pollinator. I use a small camel hair brush to transfer pollen from the male flowers to the female ones. The tricky part? Each flower only blooms for one day. If I miss it, that flower won’t get pollinated.

The growing season runs from May to December. Luffas look like giant cucumbers or zucchinis. They take about three months to mature. Once they turn brown, it’s time to peel and dry them.

The result? All the loofah sponges we could ever need. Great for the shower. Great for the skin. And surprisingly easy to grow, even in foggy San Francisco!