About Us
The Wuertz Family has been farming in the Coolidge/Casa Grande area since 1929. Waylon Wuertz (a fourth-generation farmer) started growing gourds as a young boy. He enjoyed watching them grow. After attending the University of Arizona, he wanted to farm but didn't know what would be profitable. After a hay customer asked if he sold any gourds that he had, Waylon started thinking. He started small, growing a few rows his first year. Those few rows grew into a half-acre, then 3 acres and eventually grew into 35 acres which he planted this year.
Waylon "officially" started growing gourds as a business in 2002. Then in 2003 he met his future wife, Leah, at the Southwest Gourd Patch meeting in Phoenix. They married in 2005, and were due to have their first baby during the 2011 Wuertz Farm Gourd Festival. Luckily their son Clayton arrived late and was born a week later.
The Wuertz Farm Gourd Festival is a family affair that many gourders refer to as a family reunion. The family atmosphere is what Waylon and Leah base their whole business on. They provide a great product at a great price. If you live in the area, or if you are passing through, stop by the farm and see for yourself.