This is probably heresy, but I grew five sugar babies one year and five tiger babies in each of the past two years in a 25-gallon whiskey barrel. In each case, I got two melons per plant on three of them and one per plant on two of them (8 total). I would think you could grow two in 10 gallons. I would start with three or four and only cull all but two when the first fruit starts to form. There can be so many problems when they are young.

Subtropical to Tropical, so it wants to stay warm. I would recommend full sun, and reflected heat--reflected heat meaning from nearby light stucco or concrete walls, or concrete pavement--entities that absorb considerable solar heat during the day, and radiate it at night, keeping nearby areas a little warmer than they would otherwise be. If you are considerably inland, with hotter summers and slightly colder winters, frost protection might be needed in winter and more watering required in summer. Here's an interesting blog entry about cultivation, keep in mind this writer is in India (I think) a more tropical climate, so allow for differences. Here is a link that might be useful: bitter melon growing

Hi Tina Yes, I was aware that cinnamon helps with blood sugar. I have been trying to add some to my cooking when I can. Last week I made meat loaf and I added a bit of cinnamon. I was hoping I wasnt going to ruin the taste of the meatloaf so thank goodness it came out good, couldnt taste the cinnamon. Thanks for letting me know about the capsules, I wasnt aware you could get them.

The very best thing is to use an alcohol wipe and use the stick needle only once. I don't use the alcohol wipes. And I try to remember to change my stick needle every week. They hurt more as it gets dull. I check twice a day. Pooh Bear