A staple in Asian cooking, the ampalaya is less familiar to American cooks. For that reason, growing your own ampalaya (Momordica charanti) vines may be the best option for enjoying the unusual fruit and vine shoots, which are used in both sweet and savory dishes. California and Florida are the largest commercial producers of ampalaya, also known as bitter melon, bitter gourd and balsam pear, among other names. But if you live in a region with moderate-to-hot growing seasons, consider growing bitter melon along a back fence or on a trellis. The fruit is high in Vitamin C , while the vine shoots offer Vitamin A.
Build a terrace if you don't have a sturdy wire fence on which to grow ampalaya vines. The ideal terrace is constructed using stakes or lumber that measures 6 feet tall above ground. Place the stakes 4- to 6-feet apart, with heavy wire horizontally connecting the stakes at the top and bottom. String vertical wires between the two horizontal wires at a spacing of 18 to 24 inches.
Prepare soil by adding nitrogen and phosphorus. For every 100 square feet of row, add about one-tenth of a pound of both nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers.
Plant seeds in May, or as soon in early summer as the soil typically warms in your area. Set the seeds at a depth of 1/2 inch, at a spacing of 18 to 24 inches. Establish the row about 18 inches from the fence or trellis on which the vines will grow.
Run your soaker hose or irrigation system near the seedling row, if you will be using a direct watering system.
Water the area in which you've planted seeds, taking care to moisten, rather than flood, the planting row.
Cover the planting row with mulch once the seedling reach about 6 inches. While mulching is optional, it helps suppress weeds, conserve water and reduce plant disease from mud-splashed leaves after a rain.
Water the row once a week -- less during rainy periods, more during intensely hot weather. Soil needs to be consistently moist to a depth of 18 inches.
Tie vines to your garden fence or trellis as needed during the growing season.
Apply additional nitrogen fertilizer about a month after planting. As with the pre-planting application, aim for about one-tenth of a pound of fertilizer for every 100 square feet. Lay a strip of fertilizer several inches from the vines, and work into the soil at a depth of 2 to 3 inches.
Apply an additional dressing of nitrogen fertilizer two months after planting, again using one-tenth of a pound of nitrogen per 100 square feet and working it into the soil at a depth of 2 to 3 inches.
Pick ampalaya when the fruits are 4 to 6 inches long and the skin is light green.
Things You Will Need
- Fence or trellis
- Spade or rake
- Nitrogen fertilizer (e.g. manure, compost or blood meal)
- Phosphorus fertilizer (e.g. bone meal or rock phosphate)
- Peat pots (optional)
- Potting soil (optional)
- Garden hose or irrigation system
- Garden twine
- Chop unpeeled ampalaya and soak the pieces in salted water prior to cooking. This step decreases bitterness.
- If you live in one of the chillier, fog-bound regions, consider planting ampalaya seedlings instead of seeds in order to extend your growing season. Because bitter melon does not always transplant well, grow them in peat pots, which decompose in the soil and don't require you to remove the plants before setting them in the ground. Start seedlings in March for May planting.
- Monitor the vines carefully for pests and diseases throughout the growing season. Ampalaya fruits are prone to powdery mildew, which may respond to sulfur dust. Use sticky traps or other methods to reduce fruit fly problems once fruits emerge. Alternatively, cover growing fruits with paper bags to protect them from flying insects.
- Over-ripe fruit may be toxic when eaten. In addition, the longer ampalaya stays on the vine after the light-green, firm fleshed stage, the more bitter the fruits will taste. The fruits are also more prone to spoilage and discoloration as they mature on the vine.
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