Section 02 · Crops
Winter crops of North India
The rabi season feeds the country — wheat, mustard, chana, aloo and more, sown after the monsoon and harvested as the heat returns. Pick a crop to follow it from a single seed to a full store.
The rabi season
Cool to grow, warm to ripen
Rabi (रबी) crops need cool weather while they grow and warm, dry weather to ripen — the exact rhythm of a North Indian winter.
Sep – Nov
Sow
As monsoon moisture fades and nights cool to 15–25 °C, seeds go in — vegetables first, wheat by mid-November.
Dec – Feb
Grow
Short, cool days build leaves, tillers and roots. Irrigation carries the crop; winter rain from western disturbances is a bonus.
Feb – Mar
Flower & fill
Rising warmth brings flowers, pods and grain. A heat wave now — or a late frost — costs the most yield.
Mar – May
Harvest
Dry, warm weather ripens and dries the crop. Harvest on time, dry well and store safely.
Explore
Every rabi crop, seed to harvest
Each guide grows the crop in 3D, stage by stage, with the sowing time, seed, spacing, fertiliser, water, pests and harvest advice for the northern plains.
CerealWheat
गेहूंThe king of the rabi season — roti for the whole country.
- Sow
- 25 Oct – 20 Nov
- Duration
- 140–155 days
CerealBarley
जौHardy grain for saline soils and short water — and the base of malt.
- Sow
- 25 Oct – 20 Nov
- Duration
- 120–135 days
CerealOats
जईSoft, juicy winter fodder that keeps milk flowing.
- Sow
- 10 Oct – 15 Nov
- Duration
- 120–140 days
PulseChickpea
चनाProtein-rich pulse that feeds the soil with its own nitrogen.
- Sow
- 15 Oct – 10 Nov
- Duration
- 130–155 days
PulseLentil
मसूरSmall seed, big protein — a hardy pulse for low-input fields.
- Sow
- 20 Oct – 15 Nov
- Duration
- 115–135 days
PulsePea
मटरSweet green pods for the market or dry grain for dal.
- Sow
- 10 Oct – 15 Nov
- Duration
- 75–140 days
OilseedMustard
सरसोंThe yellow fields of winter — North India's main cooking-oil crop.
- Sow
- 1 Oct – 30 Oct
- Duration
- 125–150 days
OilseedLinseed
अलसीSmall blue flowers, seeds rich in omega-3 — oil, food and fibre from one crop.
- Sow
- 10 Oct – 10 Nov
- Duration
- 120–145 days
OilseedSunflower
सूरजमुखीThe spring crop — sown at the tail of winter, harvested before the monsoon.
- Sow
- 20 Jan – 15 Feb
- Duration
- 95–115 days
VegetablePotato
आलूThe king of winter vegetables — it grows under the ridge and is sold by the quintal.
- Sow
- 1 Oct – 10 Nov
- Duration
- 80–120 days
VegetableOnion
प्याज़Every leaf it grows becomes one ring of the bulb.
- Nursery
- 15 Oct – 20 Nov
- Duration
- 160–190 days
VegetableGarlic
लहसुनPlant a clove in autumn, dig up a whole bulb in spring.
- Sow
- 25 Sep – 31 Oct
- Duration
- 150–180 days
VegetableCauliflower
फूलगोभीMatch the variety to the month, and a white curd follows.
- Nursery
- 1 Sep – 31 Oct
- Duration
- 110–160 days
VegetableCabbage
पत्ता गोभीSteady water and cool weather build a firm, heavy head.
- Nursery
- 1 Sep – 31 Oct
- Duration
- 95–140 days
VegetableCarrot
गाजरLoose, stone-free soil and even watering grow straight, deep-red roots.
- Sow
- 1 Sep – 31 Oct
- Duration
- 85–110 days
VegetableRadish
मूलीFast, cheap and cash in six weeks — if you pull it on time.
- Sow
- 1 Sep – 15 Jan
- Duration
- 40–60 days
VegetableSpinach
पालकOne sowing, many cuttings — feed it after every cut.
- Sow
- 1 Sep – 30 Nov
- Duration
- 30–40 days
VegetableTomato
टमाटरRaised in a net-covered nursery, staked tall and picked as it blushes red.
- Nursery
- 15 Sep – 31 Oct
- Duration
- 140–180 days
SpiceCoriander
धनियाGreen leaves in a month, fragrant seed spice by spring.
- Sow
- 15 Oct – 15 Nov
- Duration
- 110–140 days
SpiceCumin
जीराThe high-value spice of the desert — loves cool, dry air, hates clouds.
- Sow
- 1 Nov – 25 Nov
- Duration
- 100–120 days
SpiceFenugreek
मेथीLeaf vegetable, seed spice and soil builder — all in one crop.
- Sow
- 20 Oct – 15 Nov
- Duration
- 125–145 days
FodderBerseem
बरसीमThe king of winter fodder — cut it five or six times, and it grows back.
- Sow
- 25 Sep – 25 Oct
- Duration
- 200–230 days