HOW TO GROW BITTERMELONS?
Bitter melon is a member of squash family and it's native is South China. Bitter melon is well known for its bitter taste. Most adults and kids do not like the taste of bitter melon. The quinine content present in the bittermelon gives bitter taste to this fruit. If you start to acquire the taste of bittermelon you may become addicted to it. The bittermelon is highly nutritious vegetable, as it contains iron, calcium, potassium, vitamins B1, B2, B3, C etc. Bittermelon is good for diabetic patients.
Bitter melon seeds can be purchased from local shops or you can collect the seeds from the ripe bittermelon. Try to remove the red coloured coat surrounding the seeds and dry them and store for future use.
Alternatively you can also buy the seedlings from the nursery or other local shops and plant them in your garden.
Select a place in your garden which receives at least 6 hours of sunlight. Try to plant the bittermelon near fench or near other supporting structures, as these plants develop vines like cucumbers, grapes etc.
Before planting the seeds or seedings, make sure the soil is fertile. This can be achieved by throwing kitchen waste like vegetable and fruit peelings, egg shell, etc. The preferred pH for this plant is 5.5 to 6.7. A well prepared soil with added manure or compost yields better vegetables. The seedlings should be placed about 9-10 feet apart if planted near fence. Bittermelons need consistently moist soil.
Bittermelon plants grow quickly in summer. It is better to use trellis for the bittermelon plants. You can also do this on a fence or other supports found in your garden. Trellising is found to be more successful method as it makes harvesting easier, reduces diseases, produce long and straight vegetable and prevent vegetables from getting rot. If there is no way for trellising, don’t forget to mulch soil, such as straw beneath the vines, so that the vegetable won’t get rot.
Bittermelon fruits:
The bittermelon fruits are oblong in shape, about 8 inches long. They change from green to yellow to orange colour.
Bittermelon flowers:
Within few weeks of planting the seedlings, yellow colour flowers appear. Female flowers carry a swelling at its base which looks like a baby bittermelon, whereas this swelling is absent in male flowers.
Harvest the bittermelon when it reaches about 4-6 inches long. There is no particular sign for harvest. The more vegetable you pick from the plant, the more it produces.
Place in a plastic bag and keep in refrigerator. Try to use the vegetable within 5 days of harvest.
1. If the bittermelon plants are not trellised, rotting of vegetables can occur. This can be prevented by either trellising the plant or providing straw mulch beneath the vines
2. Fruit fly can attack the vegetable. Wrap the vegetable with newspaper to avoid this.
3. Various insects and beetles also attack the vegetable.
4. Fungal diseases like mildew affect the vegetable. Use fungicides to control this.
Bitter melon seeds can be purchased from local shops or you can collect the seeds from the ripe bittermelon. Try to remove the red coloured coat surrounding the seeds and dry them and store for future use.
Alternatively you can also buy the seedlings from the nursery or other local shops and plant them in your garden.
Select a place in your garden which receives at least 6 hours of sunlight. Try to plant the bittermelon near fench or near other supporting structures, as these plants develop vines like cucumbers, grapes etc.
Before planting the seeds or seedings, make sure the soil is fertile. This can be achieved by throwing kitchen waste like vegetable and fruit peelings, egg shell, etc. The preferred pH for this plant is 5.5 to 6.7. A well prepared soil with added manure or compost yields better vegetables. The seedlings should be placed about 9-10 feet apart if planted near fence. Bittermelons need consistently moist soil.
Bittermelon plants grow quickly in summer. It is better to use trellis for the bittermelon plants. You can also do this on a fence or other supports found in your garden. Trellising is found to be more successful method as it makes harvesting easier, reduces diseases, produce long and straight vegetable and prevent vegetables from getting rot. If there is no way for trellising, don’t forget to mulch soil, such as straw beneath the vines, so that the vegetable won’t get rot.
Bittermelon fruits:
The bittermelon fruits are oblong in shape, about 8 inches long. They change from green to yellow to orange colour.
Bittermelon flowers:
Within few weeks of planting the seedlings, yellow colour flowers appear. Female flowers carry a swelling at its base which looks like a baby bittermelon, whereas this swelling is absent in male flowers.
Harvest the bittermelon when it reaches about 4-6 inches long. There is no particular sign for harvest. The more vegetable you pick from the plant, the more it produces.
Place in a plastic bag and keep in refrigerator. Try to use the vegetable within 5 days of harvest.
1. If the bittermelon plants are not trellised, rotting of vegetables can occur. This can be prevented by either trellising the plant or providing straw mulch beneath the vines
2. Fruit fly can attack the vegetable. Wrap the vegetable with newspaper to avoid this.
3. Various insects and beetles also attack the vegetable.
4. Fungal diseases like mildew affect the vegetable. Use fungicides to control this.