Bitter Melon

Bitter Melon is a popular vegetable of the Bangladeshi community. Not available in normal supermarkets. But it can be seen in Asian or Indian stores. But our small backyard can easily grow in a tub or two.

I will follow the three steps of sowing time of gourd seeds in Canberra. Step: 1 Sowing - End of August (indoors) Step: 2 The finished product should be kept outside in a safe place (become environmentally tolerant) Step: 3 Only consider planting when the soil temperature is warm. (First week of December or middle of the month) Bitter gourd seeds should be planted in the soil at a depth of 2.5-5 cm and at a distance of 90-120 cm.

Bitter gourd grows best in warm and humid climates. It is an ecologically hardy plant. It can be grown in fairly dry climates, but excess rainfall is detrimental to it. Cannot tolerate waterlogging. Excess rainfall can cause pollination problems.

Canberra can be planted around the end of November or the first week of December as winter temperatures are high. The growth rate of bitter gourd plants slows down in winter. Bitter gourd should be grown in a place that receives full sun and has adequate irrigation for good yields. Bitter gourd can be cultivated in all types of soil.

There is not much variation in the species of bitter gourd in the city of Canberra. However, the developed Jat Bari Karla-1 of Bangladesh is popular.

Plant some flowers in your backyard this time. Remember that when the gourd plant flowers, it needs insects for pollination. In that case, having some flowers nearby will attract a lot of bees or butterflies to the garden, which will help to produce more gourds.

Plant some flowers in your backyard this time. Remember that when the gourd plant flowers, it needs insects for pollination. In that case, having some flowers nearby will attract a lot of bees or butterflies to the garden, which will help to produce more gourds.

Be very careful in seed selection. Try to select mature and healthy seeds.

Places should be selected for gourds where there is no possibility of waterlogging. If there is enough space in the house, then two or four seeds should be sown and arranged so that the tree can grow. However, those of us who are short of attention can easily grow bitter gourd in tubs. The soil of the tub or veggie bed should be well prepared. Potting mix available at Bunnings or Aldi can be used. The soil must be loose so that the prey can spread easily.

If the land is big, we can cut the drain at a certain distance and divide it into several parts in length and make a bed. Bed depth should be 1.0 meter and 30 cm drain between two beds is good. If you cultivate in a tub, you must take care that the water can escape. Stagnant water is harmful to bitter gourd. There should be several leaks under the tub to allow water to escape.

The shell of the bitter gourd seed is somewhat hard. So for easy germination just soak in clean water for 15-20 hours or Seasol mixed water for one night and then sow in small plastic tubs.

1. Necessary maintenance of seedlings should be ensured. Overwintering causes seed germination problems. In that case, those who want to make seedlings a little early, can plant seeds in small plastic tubs at the end of August or beginning of September and keep them awake by the window where the sun is available for a long time during the day. One more thing can be done. Seeds can be sown in tubs in early September and kept in small greenhouses. In that case, it should be ensured that the greenhouse is in such a place where it will be protected from the cold at night and the morning sun can be direct until noon. A pergola or deck is the perfect place for that.

(Three step method described above)

2. Bitter gourd seedlings are heavily attacked by a type of red bug. Measures should be taken to suppress it. This insect can be easily controlled by hand.

3. When the seedlings are 16-17 days old, they can be planted in prepared holes in the field or tubs. But we have to remember that in this city, I mean in Canberra, under no circumstances should seedlings be planted in the ground or in tubs until the beginning of December. A small plastic tub can be kept in a safe place to protect it from the cold for several days if necessary.

The gourd plant generally does not need any chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizers such as cowdung or sheep manure can be applied in small amounts during soil preparation. However, regular application of water mixed with Seasol once a week after transplanting gives good yield. (Where can I get Seasol? Bunnings has it, but now it's also available in Coles, Woolworths or Aldi).

From planting till harvesting the fruit should always be kept free from weeds. If there are weeds at the root of the plant, they absorb the nutrients and sap, and the yield is not as expected. Care must be taken that the soil at the base of the tree does not harden, as this disrupts the air circulation in the root zone of the tree. Therefore, the soil at the base of the tree should be changed from time to time.

Small tips at the base of the plant (absorbing branches) interfere with the yield and proper physical growth of the plant. So they have to be cut. It keeps the base clean, reduces disease and insect infestation, and makes intercropping easier.

Common diseases

1. Female flies lay eggs on the underside of young fruit. A liquid like water comes out from the egg-laying site, which dries up and turns brown in color. The insect hatches from the egg and starts eating the fruit juice and the fruit turns yellow and rots.

2. A type of insect that feeds on the leaves of seedlings. This insect lives in the soil at the base of the plant and damages the plant roots, can kill large trees.

3. Virus mosaic disease of bitter gourd leaves show mosaic of yellow and dark green spots.

4. At first white powder appears on both sides of leaves. Gradually these spots become large and brown and dry. If the leaves of a single vine are heavily attacked, that vine and then the whole tree may die. Fruit may drop. When the spot dries, black dots like Alpin's head appear.

Suppression Management

1. Infected fruits or flowers should be collected and destroyed or put in a polythene bag with a well closed mouth and thrown in the garbage bin.

2. In clean cultivation, the affected parts should be collected and destroyed. There are different types of pesticides available in the market, but since my main goal in gardening is to produce organic or pesticide-free organic food, you can also try my techniques.

3. Rosemary is very useful in controlling insects and spiders. If you have a rosemary bush in your garden that can be used for cooking, as well as spreading rosemary leaves at the base of the plant, spider mites are not a problem.

4. Soapy water or dis-washing liquid can be mixed with a small amount of water and sprinkled well on the plants with the help of a spray bottle.

5. Onion or radish peels soaked in water for 2/3 days are very beneficial in controlling insects and spiders. Chilli powder can also be added. You can add onion paste if you want.

6. Regular application of soapy water for one week, onion and garlic peel water for another week with dry chilli powder gives good results. One more thing to keep in mind - definitely have some flowering plants in your garden. May be marigold or sandhyamalati (these flowers are easy). Extra flowers help pollinate garden vegetables.

Pick the gourds from the tree regularly when the yield begins to change. Regular harvesting helps plants produce more crops.

Its juice is very useful in preventing allergies. It is also good for diabetics. Drinking bitter gourd juice daily can keep blood sugar under control. Regular consumption of bitter gourd juice cures arthritis pain. According to Ayurveda, bitter gourd is anthelmintic, expectorant and choleretic. Bitter gourd also has antibacterial properties. Applying the juice of the leaves on the wound and washing the wound with boiled water of Ucha plant will dry up the wound within a few days. In case of allergy, two teaspoons of its juice twice a day will cure it. Bitter gourd is also very useful in skin diseases. Apart from this, if there is aversion to food due to jaundice and liver disease, eating bitter gourd brings taste.

Seed storage

Those of you who want to save the seeds for the next year, remember to stop watering when the fruit starts to ripen. Then when the gourd gradually ripens and turns red, carefully cut the fruit from the tree and take out the seeds and dry them in the sun. , store in a glass jar in a humid place. Karola seeds are good, but they are covered with a red coating, it must be thrown away and dried.