Growing a pot of bitter melon on the balcony is a great choice for welcoming summer and relieving stress

The summer solstice has just passed, and the ancients had a saying of "eating bitter things at the summer solstice." In fact, in summer, because the weather is hot and dry, eating some bitter melons and fruits is indeed very good. If you can eat a pot of bitter melon you grew yourself, it is simply delicious and healthy.

So today, for flower lovers who enjoy growing flowers, vegetables and melons, I will share the method of growing bitter melon on the balcony.

Bitter melon generally blooms from June to July and its fruit ripens from July to August. Its leaves are emerald green and glossy, its fruit shape is exquisite and lovely, and its melon color is bright orange-yellow. When the fruit ripens, the green leaves, yellow flowers and orange fruits set each other off, delicate and charming.

Generally, to grow bitter melon, flower lovers can do it in spring. It can be sown in a seedbed, or sown directly in a small pot or at the planting site, sowing 1~2 seeds per pot or per hole, covering with 2 cm of soil after sowing; from sowing to fruiting takes only 3 months.

After sowing is completed, when the seedlings grow 1 true leaf, they can be planted in a large pot with a diameter of 20-30 cm. In addition, when caring for bitter melon, avoid high temperatures; when the temperature reaches above 30°C, growth and fruiting are poor. Bitter melon is also not cold-tolerant, and low temperatures below 15°C are unfavorable for both growth and fruiting.

However, bitter melon likes sunlight, so flower lovers should choose a sunny place to plant it when growing it, to facilitate growth, flowering and fruiting. Bitter melon is not shade-tolerant; when light is poor, the plant grows leggy, which affects flowering and pollination and causes bud drop and flower drop.

When caring for bitter melon, during the growth period and especially the fruiting period, water should be given abundantly to keep the potting soil moist. However, bitter melon also dislikes waterlogging, so watering should alternate between dry and wet, avoiding overly wet potting soil that causes root rot in the plant.

After emergence, apply 2-3 times a light fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen to promote sturdy seedlings. Before flowering, apply a fertilizer combining nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium once every half month to promote abundant flowering and fruiting. Because branches and leaves grow quickly and the amount of flowering and fruiting is large, fertility in the later growth stage must be sufficient; otherwise the plant will age prematurely, leaf color will become lighter, the amount of flowering and fruiting will decrease, and the fruit will become smaller.

When the bitter melon seedlings grow to 20 cm, set up a support or pull strings to let them climb. When 5~6 leaves have grown, tendrils appear and begin to twine; at this time, pinch off the growing tip to promote side branches and make female flowers open early and bear fruit early. When the plant has strong growth vigor and many side vines, promptly remove overly dense branches and vines and aged leaves to facilitate ventilation and light penetration.