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Growing fenugreek

Trigonella foenum-graecum · also called MethiA quick cool season legume sown direct for its leaves, which are nipped several times. Left to pod, the same plants give methi seed, a common spice.

Temperate Himalaya: Kashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu, Uttarakhand hills

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail
Healthy fenugreek plants in a garden bed, with small three-part leaves and slender pods
Photo: Dguendel · CC BY 4.0

At a glance

Fenugreek in the Temperate Himalaya

  • Season

    Spring and early summer1

  • Sowing to last picking

    Leaves from about a month after sowing; a seed crop stands about 4 to 5 months.

    No published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

  • Sow

    March to April1

    Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  • First harvest

    25 to 35 days after sowing

    No published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Across India

When to sow it

Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.

Wait until March

The next sowing here is March to April.

Sowing now in:Sub-tropical foothillsNorth-west plainsGangetic plainsNorth-east hills and valleysArid westCentral plateauDeccan plateauSouth interiorWest coastEast coast
  • Sow
  • Harvest
  • Today
Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, KulluSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunCold desertLadakh, Lahaul and Spiti
Compare all 12 regions
Cold desertLadakh, Lahaul and SpitiSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunNorth-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, DelhiGangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plainsNorth-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, SikkimArid westRajasthan, Kutch, north GujaratCentral plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaDeccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north KarnatakaSouth interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduWest coastKerala, Goa, KonkanEast coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra
Today
See the dates as a table
RegionSowNurseryTransplantHarvest
Temperate HimalayaMarch to AprilMay to JuneMid-April to early September
Cold desertMay to early JulyMid-June to early September
Sub-tropical foothillsSeptember to November
North-west plainsLast week of October to first week of November
Gangetic plainsOctober to NovemberMid-November to MarchLate February to mid-April
North-east hills and valleysOctober to NovemberMid-November to MarchLate February to mid-April
Arid westLate October to NovemberMid-November to MarchLate February to mid-April
Central plateauOctober to NovemberMid-November to MarchLate February to mid-April
Deccan plateauOctober to NovemberMid-November to MarchLate February to mid-April
South interiorJune to JulyOctober to November
West coastLate October to early JanuaryMid-November to February
East coastJune to JulyOctober to November

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

  1. Before sowing

    Farmyard manure5

    4 to 5 t per acre · Work it into the soil 2 to 3 weeks before sowing. · Field preparation

  2. Day 0

    Sow

  3. Day 4 to 8

    Seeds come up1,3,4Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  4. Day 25 to 35

    First pickingNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    Every 15 to 20 days, three or four cuttings

  5. Day 30 to 150

    Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Water every 7 to 10 days, more at after each cutting and flowering and pod filling for a seed crop.No published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

  • Soil pH1,3,4

    6 to 7

    Grows on most soils except waterlogged, alkaline or saline ones. Well drained loam or clay loam suits it. Avoid places with heavy, continuous rain.

  • SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    At least 5 hours a day

    Full sun in the cool months. It manages with a few hours of shade in a kitchen garden.

  • Temperature1,4Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

    Grows best at 15 to 25 °C

    Takes light frost.

    Monthly temperatures for the Temperate Himalaya aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

WateringNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Water right after sowing, then every 7 to 10 days in dry spells. Keep the soil moist while pods fill on a seed crop.

Weeding5

Two or three hand weedings keep the crop clean. Hoe and weed 25 to 30 days after sowing and again a month later. Line sowing makes this easier.

WhenWhatHow muchHow
Field preparationFarmyard manure4 to 5 t per acreWork it into the soil 2 to 3 weeks before sowing.

Sources5

Varieties and yield

Typical rangeNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

50 to 80 quintals a hectare

Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.

Good neighboursNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Pests and diseases5Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Organic and cultural controls only.

  • Pest

    Aphids (Aphis craccivora and others)

    Signs

    Nymphs and adults suck sap from leaves, shoots, buds and flowers. Honeydew and sooty mould make the greens unsaleable, and aphids spread mosaic virus.

    What to do

    • If only a few shoots are infested, pull those plants out.
    • Set yellow or blue sticky traps or water pan traps, 4 to 5 an acre.
    • Spray neem seed kernel extract 5% or neem oil.

    Prevention

    • Conserve ladybirds and lacewings, which eat aphids.
    • Grow flowering border plants that feed natural enemies.
    • Keep weeds down.

  • Pest

    Leaf miner

    Signs

    Larvae make winding tunnels inside the leaves.

    What to do

    • Collect and destroy mined leaves.
    • Spray neem seed kernel extract 5%.

    Prevention

    • Conserve natural enemies.
    • Remove and destroy crop residue after harvest.

  • Disease

    Root rot, collar rot and damping off (Rhizoctonia, Sclerotium, Pythium)

    Signs

    Seedlings go soft and water soaked at the base and topple over. Older plants yellow and wilt as roots rot.

    What to do

    • Apply neem cake at 80 kg per acre at sowing.
    • Mix Trichoderma viride into farmyard manure, 2 kg in 100 kg of FYM per acre, and apply it to the soil.

    Prevention

    • Plough deep in summer and solarise beds under clear polythene for six weeks.
    • Sow on raised beds more than 15 cm high and avoid overwatering.
    • Rotate with cereals for three years.

  • Disease

    Powdery mildew (Erysiphe polygoni, Leveillula taurica)

    Signs

    White powdery spots on leaves that spread; yellow spots may show on the underside. Worst with cool days and humid nights.

    What to do

    • Spray neem seed kernel extract 5%.

    Prevention

    • Grow a tolerant variety.
    • Conserve natural enemies.

  • Disease

    Downy mildew (Peronospora trigonellae)

    Signs

    Yellow patches on the upper leaf surface with greyish violet, cottony growth underneath; plants are stunted.

    What to do

    • Remove badly affected plants.

    Prevention

    • Use manures and fertilisers in balance.
    • Uproot alternate host plants.

  • Disease

    Cercospora leaf spot

    Signs

    Round sunken spots with yellow halos on the leaves; discoloured patches on pods. Spread by rain splash in warm, humid weather.

    What to do

    • Collect and destroy diseased plant parts.

    Prevention

    • Avoid excess nitrogen.
    • Rotate crops and clear crop debris.

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Grow the seed crop as for leaves. Take one or two leaf cuttings in the first month, then leave the plants to flower and pod. Methi is mostly self-pollinated; keep other methi plots 5 to 10 m away for pure seed.

When the seed is ready

Pods turn brown and the leaves dry.

Cleaning the seed

Cut and dry the plants, then thresh out the seed and winnow it.

Store fully dry seed in a closed container in a cool, dry place.

After the last picking5Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

After the last cutting or the seed harvest, remove and compost the crop residue so pests and diseases do not carry over. Follow with a cereal or another non-legume crop.

Remove and compost the crop residue after the last cutting or the seed harvest.

Rotation

Rotate with cereals or other non-host crops.

Sources

Where this comes from

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.

These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.

  1. 4Horticulture: Spice Crops: FenugreekTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, CoimbatoreRead the source
  2. 5AESA based IPM package: FenugreekNational Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad, and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of IndiaRead the source

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