India's three farming seasons — Kharif, Rabi and Zaid — decide when every seed should go into the ground. Sowing a week early or late can cost an entire crop, because seeds depend on moisture, temperature and day length. This calendar is a practical, crop-by-crop guide to Indian sowing windows, harvest months and the regions where each crop performs best.
Use it alongside our crop guides and the individual crop pages linked in every table below.
The Three Sowing Seasons
| Season | Sowing window | Harvest window | Main crops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kharif (monsoon) | June – July | September – October | Rice, maize, pearl millet, soybean, groundnut, cotton, sesame, green gram, black gram, pigeon pea (arhar), okra, brinjal, chilli, gourds |
| Rabi (winter) | October – December | February – April | Wheat, barley, mustard, gram (chana), peas, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, onion, garlic, potato, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, radish, beetroot |
| Zaid (summer) | March – April | May – June | Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, bitter gourd, green maize, fodder crops |
Monsoon-driven kharif sowing follows the rains from June; rabi sowing starts as kharif fields clear in October; zaid fills the gap between the two, using residual moisture and irrigation.
Kharif Crops (Sow June – July, Harvest September – October)
| Crop | Best sowing time | Harvest | Major growing states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice (paddy) | June – July | Sep – Oct | West Bengal, UP, Punjab, Telangana, Chhattisgarh |
| Maize | June – early July | Sep – Oct | Karnataka, MP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat |
| Pearl millet (bajra) | June – July | Sep – Oct | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, UP |
| Soybean | Mid-June – July | Oct – Nov | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan |
| Groundnut | June – July | Sep – Oct | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana |
| Cotton | May – June | Oct – Dec | Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Punjab |
| Sesame (til) | June – July | Sep – Oct | Rajasthan, Gujarat, UP, MP |
| Green gram (moong) | June – July | Sep – Oct | Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Black gram (urad) | June – July | Oct – Nov | AP, Telangana, MP, Tamil Nadu |
| Pigeon pea (arhar) | June – early July | Dec – Mar | Maharashtra, Karnataka, MP, UP |
| Okra (bhindi) | June – July | Aug – Oct | Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh |
| Brinjal | June – July | Sep – Dec | West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, Karnataka |
| Chilli | June – July | Sep – Dec | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra |
| Bitter gourd, ridge gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin | June – July | Aug – Oct | Almost all states |
Kharif seed choices for high yields: hybrid maize seeds, sesame seeds, greengram seeds, blackgram seeds, brinjal seeds, chilli seeds and okra seeds.
Rabi Crops (Sow October – December, Harvest February – April)
| Crop | Best sowing time | Harvest | Major growing states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat | Oct – Nov (late Oct ideal in North) | Mar – Apr | UP, Punjab, Haryana, MP, Rajasthan |
| Barley | Oct – Nov | Mar – Apr | Rajasthan, UP, Haryana |
| Mustard | Oct – Nov | Feb – Mar | Rajasthan, UP, Haryana, West Bengal |
| Gram (chana) | Oct – Nov | Feb – Apr | MP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Peas | Oct – Nov | Jan – Mar | UP, Punjab, MP, Himachal |
| Cumin (jeera) | Oct – Nov | Feb – Mar | Gujarat, Rajasthan |
| Coriander (dhania) | Oct – Nov | Feb – Apr | Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat |
| Fenugreek (methi) | Oct – Nov | Jan – Mar (leaves), Mar – Apr (seeds) | Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat |
| Onion | Oct – Nov (seedling transplant) | Mar – May | Maharashtra, Karnataka, MP, Gujarat |
| Garlic | Oct – Nov | Apr – May | MP, Gujarat, Rajasthan, UP |
| Potato | Oct – Nov | Jan – Mar | UP, West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab |
| Cauliflower | Sep – Oct (nursery), transplant 25–30 days | Nov – Feb | UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka |
| Cabbage | Sep – Oct (nursery), transplant 30–35 days | Dec – Mar | UP, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab |
| Carrot, radish, beetroot, spinach | Oct – Nov | Jan – Mar | North India plains, Punjab, Haryana, UP |
Rabi seed choices: cauliflower seeds, cabbage seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, wheat seeds and onion seeds.
Zaid / Summer Crops (Sow March – April, Harvest May – June)
| Crop | Best sowing time | Harvest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watermelon | Jan – Feb | Apr – Jun | Needs warm, frost-free weather and light soil |
| Muskmelon | Feb – Mar | May – Jun | Popular in Punjab, Haryana, UP |
| Cucumber | Mar – Apr | May – Jul | Early and late plantings both work |
| Bitter gourd | Mar – Apr | May – Jul | Grows well in hot humid weather |
| Green maize (sweetcorn) | Mar – Apr | Jun – Jul | Fresh-market corn has rising demand |
| Fodder crops | Mar – Apr | Jun – Jul | Multicut varieties give several harvests |
Zaid seed choices: cucumber seeds, bitter gourd seeds and watermelon seeds.
Month-by-Month Quick Guide
- January: Harvest mustard and early gram; plan summer vegetable nurseries in South India.
- February: Watermelon and muskmelon sowing in Punjab, Haryana and UP; rabi wheat enters grain-filling.
- March: Zaid sowing peak — summer gourds, green maize, fodder. Rabi wheat and gram harvest begins.
- April: Summer vegetable planting across the plains; prepare kharif nurseries (brinjal, chilli).
- May: Rabi harvest continues; land preparation for the coming monsoon.
- June: Kharif sowing starts with monsoon onset — rice nursery, maize, pulses, cotton, groundnut.
- July: Kharif sowing peak — sesame, green gram, black gram, soybean, okra, gourds, arhar.
- August: Late kharif pulses; start rabi nurseries for cauliflower and cabbage.
- September: Kharif crops flower and fill; early kharif maize harvest begins; cauliflower/cabbage transplanting in North.
- October: Kharif harvest in full swing; rabi sowing starts — mustard, cumin, coriander, gram, late wheat in South.
- November: Rabi sowing peak — wheat, mustard, gram, peas, onion, garlic, potato, cauliflower, cabbage.
- December: Late rabi sowing and transplanting; winter vegetable planting in South India.
Zone-Wise Sowing Notes
North India (Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, MP): A sharp two-season rhythm — kharif (rice, maize, bajra, pulses) followed by a large rabi acreage of wheat, mustard, gram and potato.
South India (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu): The monsoon arrives earlier; kharif is the main season and rabi is softer. Vegetable and pulse cultivation runs longer through winter.
East India (West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Bihar): Rice dominates kharif; a strong rabi follows with potato, mustard and vegetables.
West India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan): Rainfed kharif of cotton, groundnut and pearl millet; Gujarat's rabi of cumin, mustard and wheat is world-class.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best month to sow seeds in India?
It depends on the season: kharif crops go in during June–July with the monsoon, rabi crops during October–December, and zaid (summer) crops during March–April. Match the crop to its season rather than a single month.
Which crops are sown in the rabi season?
Wheat, barley, mustard, gram, peas, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, onion, garlic, potato, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, radish and beetroot are the main rabi crops, sown October–December and harvested February–April.
What is the difference between kharif and rabi crops?
Kharif crops are sown with the start of the monsoon (June–July) and harvested in autumn, while rabi crops are sown after the monsoon (October–December) and harvested in spring. Kharif depends on rain; rabi mostly needs irrigation or residual soil moisture.
Can I sow cauliflower in August?
Early varieties can be sown in August for an early rabi crop, but September–October is the ideal nursery window for the main rabi cauliflower crop in most of India.
When should onion seeds be sown?
For the main rabi onion crop, raise seedlings in October–November and transplant at 6–8 weeks. Kharif and late kharif onion crops follow different windows depending on the region.
Which summer (zaid) crops give the fastest returns?
Cucumber, bitter gourd, watermelon, muskmelon and green maize are the classic zaid crops — sown March–April and harvested from May, when vegetable prices are typically high.
Seasons vary by a week or two across districts. Always confirm the local sowing window with your state agriculture department or regional advisory before large-scale planting.