Some of the best bitter melon varieties. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Bitter Melon Vine
By Dalgial – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikipedia image
Commercial crop of bitter melon grown on trellises made out of plastic netting
By SaturninoOpi – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikipedia image
Bitter melon is often called bitter gourd or balsam pear.
White Pearl is a hybrid variety and a slightly bitter type. It’s great for salad, stir fry, stuffing, and soups.
Beauty Winner is another hybrid that is almost completely white. It has a mellower taste compared to some other varieties. It’s also a prolific fruiter, ready for harvest about 60 days after planting, so it’s a good one for the impatient gardener.
Taiwan White, as the name implies, has white flesh and skin. It’s not as prolific as white pearl or beauty winner. Taiwan Large is bigger than Taiwan white and has green skin. The fruit is large and can be up to a pound in weight.
Bitter melon is a prolific vining plant that can grow up to 16 feet long. You can plant bitter melon in pots. Just make sure the pot is well-draining and is at least 10 gallons in volume. Use a frame or have the pot against a trellis to allow the vine to grow with support.
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