Fresh Seeds inside US and Fast shipping Bitter Gourd is one of the most popular vegetables in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, India and the Philippines. Bitter Gourd, also called Bitter Melon, has an acquired taste. The plant is grown mainly for the immature fruits although the young leaves and tips are edible. Bitter Melon seed has hard skin and needs warm/moist soil conditions during germination. It may fail or take a long time to germiante if the soil temperature is too low. Bitter Melon is a long-season, high-humidity and warm-climate vine plant and needs to grow along supports. Bitter Gourd has been used as a medicine for many millennia especially in South Asia and South East Asia. Biological name for Karawila (Karela) is Momordica Charantia. Known as bitter gourd or bitter melon in English and as Karela in Hindi, Karawila is used to cure many illnesses in Ayurvedic system of medicine. The main use of Karawila (Karela) is lowering of blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. Some other ailments cured with Karawila or Karela are dysmenorrhea, eczema, gout, jaundice, pneumonia, leprosy, piles, kidney stones, psoriasis and rheumatism. Its abortifacient, contraceptive, anthelmintic , anti-malarial, anti bacterial and antiviral properties have been known from ancient times and have been the focus of research in recent times. Modern scientific investigations have proved the beneficial medicinal uses beyond any doubt. Please following my tips on high rate germination direction:Use a nail clip to cut a small part of outside skin but don’t damage the core. Put it in a small container under soil 0.25-0.5 inch with garden soil (Home depot or Lowes has) Keep soil moist but not wet. I like using a spray bottle to water the seeds twice a day. For best results in germination use a heating mat as the seeds germinate best around 85 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Definitely don’t fall below 80 Fahrenheit. The seeds generally emerge in about 10-25 days. Customer Service: Your success is our success. If you feel like you cannot leave us a 5 star rating or if you have any issues with your order, like damaged or wrong items etc…just send us a note and we’ll promptly resolve the issue for you. Free Shipping:Seeds are packaged in a small poly bag. In an effort to keep costs low, and pass the savings onto you, we do not offer specific planting directions on seed packets. If you cannot locate planting instructions for your specific conditions, contact us and we’ll do our best to instruct you on the proper methods. There is no tracking number for economy shipping. Economy shipping order usually takes 1-2 weeks to arrive depending on the state you live. If you want seeds to arrive faster and safely with the tracking, it is HIGHLY recommended to choose USPS Ground Advantage.