Bitter melon is a popular vegetable in India, Asia and throughout the Pacific, learn how to grow this uniquely tasting vegetable in your garden this season.
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What is Bitter Melon?
Move over kale, acai and goji berries! There’s a new superfood in town! As it is reputed to have many health benefits, the bitter melon is steadily growing in popularity. Known as bitter gourd, ampalaya, Balsam pear, kerela, goya, nigauri or mara kheenok to name a few, the bitter melon is a relative of the cucumber family.
The vines can grow 16 ft (5 m) in length and bear fruits that are knobbly or spiky in appearance. Asian varieties are usually smoother and knobbly whilst Indian varieties are spiky. The fruits produced by the vine are usually about 8 inches (20 cm) long. Plants usually produce around 10 fruits per plant.
The fruit is crunchy and watery in texture with a bitter flavor that is unappealing to some people. Bitter melon is usually eaten green or as it is just beginning to turn yellow and is added to curry, stir fry, juices, smoothies and other dishes, even pickles! The darker green the skin, the more bitter the flavor and you might need to do a little more prep work in the kitchen.
The young shoots and leaves are also eaten as greens and the fruit is dried and made into a tea.
How to Grow Bitter Melon From Seed
A couple of things you need to know when it comes to growing bitter melon from seed is that they need warmth to germinate and they will need sun and warm weather over a long season and a trellis to grow well. Some varieties of bitter melon to try are
- Abashi
- Jyunpaku’ Okinawan Pure White
- Big Top
- White Pearl
- Deva
- Futo
- Mara
- Number One
Starting Bitter Melon Seeds Indoors
Since bitter melons are a tropical plant they are best grown from seed indoors. You will need to start sowing bitter melon seeds around 4 weeks before the last frost date in spring.
Germination is usually within 7 days but can take up to 14 days. Germination is much better when a heating seed mat
Pre-wet your seed starting mix
Mist the top of your seed tray and water from the bottom to keep the soil in your seed trays moist.
Potting On
About 10 – 15 days after they have sprouted, the seedlings should have their first set of adult or true leaves. Gently tease out the bitter melon seedlings from the seed tray and plant into bigger pots. This is to give the seedlings room to grow.
Planting Out
Bitter melon seedlings need to be transplanted into their final growing space 2 weeks after the last frost in spring. This ensures that all risk of frost has passed in your area. Bitter melon plants will not survive a frost, even a mild one.
Where to Plant Bitter Melons?
When you are deciding where to grow bitter melon plants, choose somewhere sunny with well-draining soil. Choose a location where you can provide support for the vines to grow up and along.
These plants need a rich soil and a regular watering schedule. Prepare the soil by adding plenty of well-rotted compost or well-rotted manure and dig it into the planting bed.
Bitter melons need to be kept from sprawling along the ground where the fruit is hard to find and will rot. Try using a cucumber trellis
At planting time, dig a hole then add a little seabird guano
Caring for Bitter Melon Plants
Here are some tips for caring your growing bitter melons:
- Water your plants deeply at least once a week, if the soil is dry under the first 3 inches of soil then water your plants more frequently.
- Plant flowers that attract pollinators into your garden nearby. Fruit production needs pollinators like bees to pollinate the flowers.
- Cover the growing bed with mulch to help retain moisture.
- Give plants a boost one a month by feeding with comfrey tea or natural liquid fertilizer or add more compost around each plant.
- Great companion plants to grow near bitter melons are bush beans, corn, pumpkin or squash and radishes.
- Don’t grow bitter melons near potatoes or herbs, they will not grow well.
- Check your vines for signs of cucumber beetles and pick off any you find. Cucumber beetles can spread bacterial wilt that will kill your plants. Radishes help to deter cucumber beetles.
- Check your plants for signs of powdery mildew, downy mildew, rust, watermelon mosaic virus, bacterial wilt, and the cucumber mosaic virus. Treat your plants early if signs of these diseases are spotted. Avoid watering from overhead sprinklers, water plants close to the soil and avoid splashing leaves with water.
Pruning Bitter Melon Plants
Your bitter melon plants need to be pruned when the vines grow to the top of the trellis support. Prune the growing tip at the top of the plant and remove lateral branches (those additional branches forming off the main stem) from the soil up to the tenth leaf joint. This will make the plant produce more flowers and fruit sooner.
How to Save Bitter Melon Seeds
To save seeds for next season, leave a few fruits on each vine to mature past when you would harvest them. Mature fruits change to yellow-orange in color and will break open and release seeds. The seeds may be covered in a red sweet pulp which is edible.
Collect the seeds and wash them to remove the pulp residue then dry thoroughly. Store seeds in a cool, dry spot.
Remember, if you are growing different varieties of bitter melon then they may cross-pollinate with each other which is great for landrace gardening. Only grow one variety if you want to save seed from only that variety.
Growing Bitter Melon Summary
Plants need prolonged warm weather to grow well in the northern hemisphere. Start your seeds indoors to help give your plants a headstart and try growing this delicacy in your garden this season!
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