The bitter “bitter melon garden”: A time to plant in Ecclesiastes 3

Katy moved and transplanted many bitter melons and a few Taiwanese pumpkins and tomatoes out to the garden last Sunday (May 8), citing several well-founded reasons: (1) all our garden friends have so done, (2) the weather forecasts all said the lowest temperature would be 42 degrees F to the end of May, (3) the bitter melons have borne fruit (see photo right).

I had my reservation.  I am of the opinion of respecting the mother nature and the conventional wisdom that the last frost of the spring is usually in mid or even late May in western Pennsylvania.  In fact, the last frost fell on Memorial Day weekend a few years ago. 

If one pays attention to the weather forecast, one will see the temperature has been revised practically daily.  Since the planting, the lowest temperature has been revised to 39, then 35, then 32 and now 29 degrees is predicted for tonight and frost for tonight and tomorrow night.  This is the peril of  迫不及待的 (cannot wait) gardeners.

The protective fabric covers (for plants) were sold out at WalMart today; we got the last one. Katy has since dug out the moved most of the bitter melons indoors; it was indeed a bitter “bitter melon garden”.  The tentative moving out for the second time will be Monday (May 16).   They no longer look vigorous or vibrant; their health has been compromised.

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is “a time to plant”; the time is around or after Memorial Day weekend in western Pennsylvania.

Ecclesiastes 3: A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .