How to grow bitter gourd for summer
Bitter gourd is easy to grow from seed.
The seeds planted in February through April in successive sowings, give sufficient bitter gourds to last till August. They do well in a garden, no doubt, but flourish just as well in pots in balconies. The climber being delicate throws up tendrils to support itself, and can find solace in neighbouring plants if you haven't provided stakes to support it.
Bitter gourd is a gift of nature in the Indian summer. Ayurveda hails it as food and medicine. It stabilises blood sugar, removes parasites from the digestive canal, and cools the body.
Ayurveda believes that if food is your medicine then you will not need to take any medicine separately. If your diet is not as per nature’s bounty in season in your area, disease finds an easy door to walk in through. Indian homes have delicious recipes for bitter gourd. It is made into hot chips in Bangalore, pickles in Rajasthan, and curried or fried with onions, fennel and fenugreek seeds in most homes. It is a delicacy at summer wedding celebrations and one of the Tava fries with parval and green capsicum. Its Indian name in Hindi is Karela.
