Seed – Bitter Melon

Description

Planting/Growing Discussion:

We are offering two different colors of bitter melon – green & white. Bitter melon seeds are considered to be rare. They are the same species of bitter melon, yet very unique in appearance. Bitter melon is used medicinally for its bitterness, which can actually be different in melons from the same vine. The younger the melon is, the more bitter it may be. The bitter taste is from the natural quinine content. In Asia, Panama, and Columbia, they are used in medicine for support with Malaria. They are native to South America, Asia, India, and Africa. In the United States, it is more known for its anti-parasitic qualities. The green and white species has interchangeable benefits and growing.

The first taste of bitter melon may make you pucker. You may also acquire a taste, becoming addicted to it. Its bitterness comes from the natural quinine content.

Bitter Melon “Momordica charantia, of which the white is considered rarer. The melons are oblong and have a bumpy, warty appearance. Inside, they are spongy with seeds that turn red with maturity It grows in zones 8-11, although it grows best in zones 9-11.

Soak the seeds overnight before planting. Place them 1/2 inch deep, in any good potting soil and keep them moist until they germinate, which normally takes about 7 days. Plant them 1 ft. apart, to be transplanted once they begin to grow. The growing plants should be spaced 6 feet apart. Vines may grow up to 16 ft. long.

It can grow quite large in the right conditions. They like full sun and the support of growing on a fence or trellis. Growing them off of the ground may prevent loss by root rot. Vines will grow towards sunny spots.

Bitter melon produces both male and female flowers. Male flowers will be produced first, around 3 weeks after planting. Then you should see female flowers, which are swollen at the base, as if a tiny melon is beginning to grow. Insects like bees will come to pollinate the flowers. The flowers only live for one day. They open in the morning and close up at night, falling off the vine. I like to collect them every night. The leaves and dropping flowers can be used to make tea.

A fertilizer of manure is favored by growers. Once they are overly mature, they burst open, dispersing seeds throughout the garden. They can be harvested as soon as two months. It may be hard to tell when they are ready to pick. Harvest when there are signs of yellowing. If it is completely yellow, it is over ripe, which may affect the texture of the flesh inside and it becomes less bitter. Keep in mind it is used medicinally for its bitterness. A ripe bitter melon s normally 4-6 inches long. Once the melons begin to ripen, you may be able to harvest them every few days. The more you pick, the more that may form. A ripe melon should be firm.

They discuss different possible pests and diseases on other websites, commonly the same ones that affect other melons, such as squash. Although I have been growing bitter melon for nearly 5 years now, on a fence, and have never had any issues. Not a single one1

We carry Bitter Melon tinctures, colloidal tinctures, glycerites, herbal tea, loose powder, and capsules, elsewhere on this site. We use the full-spectrum plant + fruit/seed to make them. To purchase one, or to read about the possible benefits of Bitter Melon, Click Here.