Growing Bầu, Bí Đao, Mướp, Khổ Qua

This is my on-going documentary for the opo gourds, fuzzy melons, culinary loofahs, and bitter melon varieties I am testing in my garden. Documentary started March 2025, updated 4/19/25, and ended (TBD). I will update post with pictures during peak season.

Culinary Uses:

Bầu – refers to opo gourds used for canh
Bí – refers to fuzzy melon and winter melon varieties for Vietnamese canh
Mướp – refers to any culinary loofahs for stir fry and canh. There are more than 100 loofah varieties, and not all loofahs have the same nutritional value and not all loofah varieties are edible. Culinary loofah varieties have a natural sweetness when cooked.
Khổ Qua – bitter melon varieties for canh, stuffing, stir fry, grilling, and steaming

Note: *Vietnamese “canh” is a type of soup that is served with steamed jasmine rice.

Summer 2025 will be my first time growing these four essential summer edibles in my edible garden. So wish me luck folks!

What I Know & Learned:

Seed companies and sellers: Pan Asia Heirloom on Etsy, Baker Creek Heirloom, and Seed Cult on Etsy are where I bought my seeds from. I do sell the seeds as part of my $1 seed packet deals to help me split up the out-of-pocket seed costs.
Aggressive climber: I know opo gourds, fuzzy melons, culinary loofahs, and bitter melons are all climbing plants that requires an arched trellis for a good crop. But I do not have that space. I only have one arched trellis. Loofah is the most aggressive climber among the four and so I will reserve my trellis for loofah. I am going to try to grow the other three on 6-foot long cattle panel trellises.
Planting Zones: Any climate zone is suitable as long there is a season with temperature range of 75 to 99F degrees for the opo gourds, fuzzy melons, loofahs, and bitter melons vines to grow and produce well. I know my fellow gardeners in Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, California, and Florida can all grow these well.
Avoid Cross Pollination: I hope to save the harvested seeds. The seed company owner of Pan Asia Heirloom on Etsy told me I can only grow one variety at a time to avoid cross pollination.
Soil type: These plants need rich, well draining, organic soil to strive.
Light requirement: Full sun
Watering: I would just need to make sure to water it well at least three times a week.
Planting in Ground or in Pot: The plant can grow well in the ground if the soil is good. But with the sandy loose Florida dirt here, I’m going to grow these edible plants in a 15-gallon pot.
I learned not to sow so many seeds and so many varieties. In March, I sow 6 seeds for 6 varieties per plant which took up 4 seedling trays. I tried to sell my seedlings but it’s not a known edible plant in the local community for anyone interested to buy. Not all seeds sprouted at the same time. I ran out of patience and dumped the seedling pots into my raised bed. As the weather warmed up, I discovered the seeds I thought rotted didn’t and started sprouting in random places. Well, I had no idea which is what so I ended up pulling them out like weeds to discard.

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April 2025: Now I am starting over from seeds. I narrowed down to two varieties per type, one set for my garden, and another set for a friend’s garden.

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Opo Gourds (OG): Bầu

2025 variety: to be updated during peak and end of growing season

OG1. Italian Cuccuzzi – long snake like gourd that taste just like an opo, but has a more tender and sweeter taste when stir fry. I like stir frying this with eggs. Seeds from Baker Creek.
OG2. Nam Tao Yai opo – Seeds from Pan Asia Heirloom (PAH) on Etsy.