Eating bitter melon is a good way to lose weight. I bought this bitter melon extract from http://www.madeinchina.com/2780757/P6007961/Bitter-Melon-Extract.shtml and in just one month I've lost 5kg! Can't believe it? But it's true! You can also eat bitter melon by raw or drink its juice. It's really worth a try!

I don't like the bitterness so I'd be guaranteed a weight loss.

On the other hand, my wife prefers this veggie to most others. She starts the seed as you do jas_il and has no problem with germination.

The plants stay in a heated greenhouse for a few weeks and are then put under plastic in the garden. The hoophouse is ventilated but after the heat of Summer arrives, we will pull the plastic film off and the bittermelon will take over the pvc pipe frame as their trellis. This has worked well for a number of years now.

Steve

Steve,

Your post looks interesting. I am also applying the same method. I got few milk crates and I covered it up with plastic sheet. It looks like a mini green house. it has little bit of ventilation on lid(plastic sheet). Now I am keeping okra and bittermelon seedlings inside of these milk crates and they are doing good in 60 degrees. This way they can stay outside and be protected by cold weather. I bring them in during evening.

After few days when weather will warm up I will plant it in the ground. Hope they will do good.

Jasmine

I was wondering what temperature do you keep the paper towel at?
This is my first try with bitter mellon, and the germination has been very poor, i scratched them on one side, soaked about 18 hrs, planted in bedding plant mix, after about 7 days in a unheated greenhouse,I realized spring was not coming,, i put them on heating cables at aprox 75 F then 7 came up out of 60 seeds. The chinese okra, cee gwa treated the same way have done much better with about 50 out of 60 looking like great seedlings, probably 7 bitter melon will be lots to experiment with this year anyway.

Hi thefarmguy,

My room temperature was around 72-74f. I kept the paper towel inside the egg carton (foam) with lid closed near by the heating vent so the temperature was pretty warm.

My seeds were an year old so they had germinated pretty quickly. If seeds are old they might take longer time or may not germinate. They will not germinate in unheated garage if outside temperature is very low. bittermelon and okra needs 75-80 F for germination.

thanks jas il for sharing your experience,,,i shall try a few on the papertowel next year,,, the 7 that i do have are doing great, thanks again