The unique, characteristic feature of bitter gourd or bitter melon, locally known as karela, is its bitterness.

Botanically known as Momordica charantia and belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae, bitter gourd grows better in hot and humid climates. South Asian cooks take pride in cooking the highly nutritious bitter gourd in a way that makes it taste less bitter and more palatable.

Since bitter gourd seeds have a relatively hard shell, they need a little bit of treatment before being sown, so as to weaken the outer coating. This helps the growing seedling to easily burst open and germinate.

There are three different seed conditioning processes, such as scarification, stratification and soaking of the seed, the latter being the easiest of the three, in which the seeds are soaked overnight before being sown. We will discuss these processes in our upcoming articles, in due course.

With its sharp flavour and distinct appearance, the karela has several impressive health benefits. But it’s also easy to grow…

The relatively large seeds of bitter gourd are sown at a depth of at least one to two inches in the soil. I prefer to sow two seeds in a cup and let the seedlings grow. The weaker of the two seedlings thins out, and the strongest seedling continues growing.

Depending upon last frost dates, zones and prevalent climate, bitter gourd seeds can be sown at the start of summer and during the monsoon season. The seeds usually germinate in a week to 10 days in favourable conditions.

When two to three true leaves grow out in the seedling, it can be shifted to a container that is 10-12 inches in depth and diameter or, even better, in the ground, at a space of one square foot for each vine.

The bitter gourd creeper vine spreads quickly on hanging ropes, hedges and trellises, with the help of its clinging tendrils. Utmost care should be taken in letting the bitter gourd fruit hang. Even if the vine is spreading on the ground, make sure the fruit does not touch the ground.

The bitter gourd creeper is invasive and quick-spreading, with relatively small leaves, as compared to other members of the gourd family. The vine can grow to a height of at least six feet, depending upon the container size and nourishment provided.

The bitter gourd vine needs direct sunlight exposure of around six hours daily. It should be watered daily, so that the soil remains moist throughout the day, especially during extremely hot days.

Care should be taken not to water directly on the stem of the vine. The pH of the soil should be kept between 6.5 and 7.5. During peak summers, mulching can be done to keep the top layer moist.

From its seedling phase to the flowering phase, the creeper should ideally be provided with nitrogen-based fertiliser, such as decomposed cow and chicken manure or blood meal. Later, nitrogen fertiliser should be replaced with fertilisers containing maximum potassium and phosphorus content.

Vines grown in containers require fertilisers weekly, while those being grown in the ground need fertiliser on a monthly basis. Similarly, a weekly spray of organic neem oil pesticide can help ensure getting rid of commonly occurring pests and diseases, including aphids, mealy bugs, powdery mildew and fruit flies.

Trellis installation is also recommended, so that the leaves get better aeration and be able to deflect any unwanted pest attack in the process. Fruit flies also tend to inject their eggs into the developing fruit by boring holes in it, causing the fruit to spoil, which may later turn yellow or orange. You could also cover the developing fruits with bags to protect from fruit fly attacks.

The vine has both male and female flowers which are small and yellow. There is a small fruit visible just behind the female flower. Bees are the regular pollinators that help pollinate the female flowers but, in their absence, the pollen can be transferred from male to female flowers through hand pollination.

The vine starts fruiting within seven to eight weeks of seeds germination. It is better to harvest bitter gourd when it is shiny and dark green. Generally, the vine continues to bear fruit for two months or so.

Please send your queries and emails to kalishahid@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, September 25th, 2022