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Bitter melon is a tropical and subtropical climbing vine of the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible, elongated fruit with a distinctive bumpy or warty exterior. The fruit is characteristically bitter in taste and is a staple ingredient in many Asian cuisines, particularly in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
🐛 Prone to: Whitefly.
Attract Parasitic wasps, Lacewings to keep them in check — plant AngelicaGood, AniseGreat and Bishop's FlowerGood nearby.
🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Hoverflies, Parasitic wasps that help control Aphids, Whitefly, Thrips, Caterpillars, Flea beetles, Colorado potato beetle, Stink bugs, Leaf miners on neighbouring plants.
Cucumis melo
fruit
A fellow Cucurbitaceae — similar growing habits to Bitter Melon
Start Bitter Melon indoors about 3 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. It is frost-tender, so don't plant out early. Expect to harvest in roughly 55 days.
Water: Medium · Height: 200 cm · Soil: Well-draining soil; tolerates a range of soil types but prefers fertile, organic-rich conditions
