The Bitter Gourd Creeper

Last year around this time saw me busy with major repairs to our flats' common areas. I asked the workers to leave a narrow patch of land intact for me to attempt some gardening on our side of the compound. My husband is very good at growing a patch of garden. He worked along side his father who retired as the director of agriculture in Orissa some 40 years back.

His interest and knowledge is great in the subject.

Both of us planned to coax the hard and unresponsive soil to allow growth of some plants. We had put up a wire mesh fence above the compound wall to obstruct view from the neighbour's house with creepers like jasmine and money plant. Nothing seemed to work for almost 10 months. We had decided to dump our fruits and vegetables waste into a small pit and covered with soil. This was our green attempt not to load the local garbage bin besides manuring our tiny garden. I would keep aside all the water which I would use to wash vegetables and rice, etc. instead of letting it go down the drain (recycling waste). That water would go into the small patch. Every morning at cooking time we both would do this with such joy and commitment.

Last month I had got some bitter gourds from the market. It was good and the seeds looked sturdy and healthy. So my husband prepared a nice place to plant them in. He also planted the jasmine which creeper came up well. Some spinach varieties. Some tomato plants, some pumpkin seeds. All in a small patch of 8ft X 2ft soil.
All of them came up to say hi and gladdened our hearts. But alas many din't make it as other plants dwarfed them out of their fair share of sunlight and rats too were nibbling away at the tomato plants which would appear shredded the next morning after they peeped out so expectantly from the soil.

Then it was as if the jasmine creeper was struggling to compete with the bitter gourd. My husband tied a criss cross of wires and thin coir ropes. The creepers spread their tentacles so beautifully and a few weeks later we could see yellow flowers with baby bitter gourds hanging. The first batch of 250 gms was harvested last week and another this week. They were so tender and juicy and not at all bitter!

Some have green fingers and thanks to their efforts we all enjoy the fruits of labour. I share a picture which my son took and framed the vegetable in red.

We shall keep at it forever and leave as little carbon print as possible.

Mahalakshmi.