Journal / Kitchen gardening
What to sow each month in North India: kitchen garden calendar
Short answer: in the plains of North India (Punjab, Haryana, Delhi NCR and western Uttar Pradesh), October and November are the best months to start a kitchen garden: sow peas, carrot, radish, palak, methi, dhaniya, lettuce, garlic and sarson saag. March is the best month for summer vegetables such as bhindi, gourds, cucumber and lobia. May is too hot for most sowing.
This calendar is for pots, terraces and home beds. Dates shift by a week or two each year with the weather, so watch night temperatures in winter and the first showers before the monsoon.
What to sow each month
| Month | What to sow or plant | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| January | Palak, Dhaniya, Methi, Radish, Lettuce, Tomato nursery (protected), Chilli nursery (protected) | Cold nights. Keep seedlings in the sunniest corner and water in the morning. |
| February | Bottle gourd, Cucumber, Bitter gourd, Tomato transplants, Dhaniya, Palak, Mint cuttings | Start summer creepers in the second half of the month as days warm up. |
| March | Bhindi, Bottle gourd, Ridge gourd, Cucumber, Chaulai, Lobia, Green chilli | The best month for summer vegetables. Add vermicompost before sowing. |
| April | Bhindi, Chaulai, Lobia, Gwar, Mint | Mulch pots to keep roots cool before the heat arrives. |
| May | Chaulai, Bhindi | Too hot for most sowing. Mulch, water twice a day and give pots afternoon shade. |
| June | Bhindi, Bottle gourd, Gwar, Brinjal nursery, Chilli nursery | Sow gourds with the first pre-monsoon showers. |
| July | Bottle gourd, Ridge gourd, Bhindi, Brinjal transplants, Chilli transplants, Beans | Check drainage. Waterlogged pots rot roots quickly in the monsoon. |
| August | Tomato nursery, Early cauliflower nursery, Brinjal, Radish (late Aug) | Start the winter tomato nursery now for a December harvest. |
| September | Cauliflower, Cabbage, Broccoli, Carrot, Radish, Palak, Methi, Dhaniya | Refresh tired summer soil with vermicompost before winter crops. |
| October | Peas, Carrot, Radish, Palak, Methi, Dhaniya, Lettuce, Garlic, Tomato transplants, Sarson saag | The best month of the year for a kitchen garden in North India. |
| November | Peas, Garlic, Palak, Methi, Dhaniya, Lettuce, Sarson saag, Onion nursery | Sow leafy greens every two weeks for a steady supply. |
| December | Palak, Dhaniya, Lettuce, Onion transplants | Growth slows in the cold. Feed with vermicompost and protect from frost on clear nights. |
Before every sowing
Tired soil is the most common reason a kitchen garden stops producing. Before each new crop, mix fresh vermicompost into the top 10–15 cm: 1 kg per 10 sq ft for beds, or 100–200 g per pot. See how much vermicompost to use for pot-by-pot amounts.
Getting started
- Start a balcony kitchen garden: pots, sun and the first six crops.
- Growing tomatoes at home: timing for North India, staking and common problems.
Keep reading
Start a balcony kitchen garden with vermicompost
Pots, soil mix and the five easiest crops for your first season.
Why organic carbon is the most important number in your soil
What it is, why many Punjab soils are short of it, and how compost rebuilds it.
Growing tomatoes at home: a beginner's guide
Timing for North India, pot size, staking and the two problems everyone meets.