We report the growth and characterization of GaSb nanowires grown by MOVPE. The structural properties of the nanowires are investigated by the means of transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and single nanowire photoluminescence. The measurements confirm a high material quality in the GaSb nanowires. Also, a back-gated nanowire transistor structure is used to extract values for the polarity and resistivity of the GaSb. Finally, a simple kinetic model is presented to explain the non-linear time dependence of the GaSb nanowire growth. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.