When and how harvesting of snake gourd is carried out?

Setting fruits in snake gourd starts about 50 days after seed sowing. The fruits can be harvested as early as 15-20 days after anthesis. Flowering and harvesting usually remain continued for 1- 2 months. Most often fruits are harvested about 3 months after sowing when they are 30-70 cm long and still green and tender since fruits at full maturity become lighter in weight, fibrous, and bit hard, which are not usually preferred by the consumers in the market.