Bitter gourd can be cultivated from lowland to altitudes up to 1,000 m. It requires a minimum temperature of 180C during early growth, but optimal temperatures are in the range of 24–270C. The crop can tolerate low temperatures, but extreme cool temperatures will retard growth. The plants are adapted to a wide variety of rainfall conditions. Bitter gourd tolerates a wide range of soil but prefers a well drained sandy loam soil rich in organic matter. The optimum soil pH is 6.0–6.7, but plants tolerate alkaline soils up to pH 8.0.
