Vegetables · Stem

Growing knol-khol

Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes · also called ganth gobhi, monj (Kashmiri)A cool season cole crop grown for its swollen, tender stem, cooked or pickled along with its leaves. A biennial grown as an annual, it is one of the main kitchen vegetables of Kashmir.

Where are you growing?

Central plateau: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha

Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail

A purple knol-khol plant in a vegetable bed, its round swollen stem sitting just above the soil under a crown of leaves — Photo: Σ64 · CC BY 4.0

At a glance

Knol-khol in the Central plateau

Season
Winter crop
Sowing to last picking
About two and a half to three and a half months from nursery sowing to harvest.
Nursery
Mid-September to October
First harvest
45 to 60 days after sowing

Across India

When to sow it

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

Too late this season

The window here was Mid-September to October. The next one opens in September.

Sowing now in:South interior West coast East coast

Sow
Nursery
Transplant
Harvest
Under cover
Today

Central plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha Arid westRajasthan, Kutch, north Gujarat Deccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north Karnataka

Compare all 12 regions

Today

See the dates as a table

Region	Sow	Nursery	Transplant	Harvest
Central plateau		Mid-September to October	Mid-October to November	December to January
Temperate Himalaya		March to mid-AprilJuly	Mid-April to mid-MayAugust	June to JulyOctober to November
Cold desert		Under cover: April, under polythene	MayUnder cover: Mid-October, in a polyhouse	July to early September
Sub-tropical foothills	Last week of August, sown direct	Mid-SeptemberMid-OctoberMid-FebruaryLast week of March	Mid-OctoberSecond week of DecemberLast week of MarchMid-April
North-west plains		September	October	December to January
Gangetic plains		Late August to September	September to October	Late November to January
North-east hills and valleys		September to mid-October	October to mid-November	December to mid-February
Arid west		Mid-September to October	Mid-October to November	Late December to mid-February
Deccan plateau		October	November	Late December to mid-February
South interior		September to mid-November	October to mid-December	December to February
West coast		October to mid-November	November to mid-December	January to mid-February
East coast		October to mid-November	November to mid-December	January to mid-February

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

Before sowing

Field preparation

Well rotted farmyard manure or compost

20 tonnes per hectare

Mix it into the soil while preparing the land.

About a month after transplanting

Vermicompost

about 100 g per plant

Spread it around the plants and earth up lightly.

Day 0

Sow

Day 5 to 8

Seeds come up

^1,3

Day 45 to 60

First picking

Day 75 to 100

Last picking

Water every 7 to 10 days, more at knob swelling.

Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure or compost
20 tonnes per hectare · Mix it into the soil while preparing the land. · Field preparation
Vermicompost
about 100 g per plant · Spread it around the plants and earth up lightly. · About a month after transplanting
Day 0
Sow
Day 5 to 8
Seeds come up^1,3
Day 45 to 60
First picking
Day 75 to 100
Last picking

Water every 7 to 10 days, more at knob swelling.

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

Soil pH¹
Grows on most soils if they are fertile. Light sandy or sandy loam soils suit an early crop; clay loam and silty soils, which hold more moisture, suit a late crop.
Sunlight
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun in an open spot. In shade the stems swell slowly and stay small.
Temperature^1,3
Grows best at 15 to 25 °C
Takes hard frost.
Monthly temperatures for the Central plateau aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

Watering

Water right after transplanting, then keep the soil evenly moist. A dry spell checks growth and makes the knobs woody.

Weeding

Hoe shallowly two or three times in the first month after transplanting, since the roots stay near the surface.

When	What	How much	How
Field preparation	Well rotted farmyard manure or compost	20 tonnes per hectare	Mix it into the soil while preparing the land.
About a month after transplanting	Vermicompost	about 100 g per plant	Spread it around the plants and earth up lightly.

Sources

Varieties and yield

Typical range

150 to 200 quintals a hectare

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

Good neighbours¹

Grows well with

Pests and diseases

Organic and cultural controls only.

Pest
Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella)
Signs
Small green caterpillars make windows and holes in the leaves.
What to do
- Spray neem seed kernel extract 5%.
- Pick off caterpillars in small plots.
Prevention
- Grow a row of mustard every 20 to 25 rows as a trap crop.
Pest
Cabbage aphid
Signs
Grey waxy colonies under the leaves; leaves curl.
What to do
- Wash colonies off with a strong jet of water.
- Spray neem seed kernel extract 5%.
Prevention
- Conserve ladybird beetles and hoverflies.
Pest
Cutworm
Signs
Young plants cut at the base overnight.
What to do
- Search the soil around cut plants in the morning and destroy the caterpillars.
Prevention
- Plough before planting and keep the field free of weeds.
Disease
Black rot
Signs
V-shaped yellow patches at the leaf edges with black veins.
What to do
- Pull out and destroy infected plants.
Prevention
- Use seed from healthy plants and soak it in hot water at 50 °C for 30 minutes.
- Rotate with crops outside the cabbage family.
Disease
Damping off
Signs
Seedlings collapse at the soil line in the nursery.
Prevention
- Raise the nursery on raised, well drained beds and avoid overwatering.
- Transplant only healthy seedlings.

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed¹

Leave only healthy knobs that are true to type in the field for seed, and keep the seed crop 1,600 m from other knol-khol and other cole crops. Make sure insect pollinators are about at flowering.

When the seed is ready

Flowers appear 30 to 35 days after the chosen knobs are replanted, then pods set. Cut the branches as the pods ripen.

Cleaning the seed

Stack the cut branches to dry for 4 to 5 days, then turn them upside down and leave them 4 to 5 days more before threshing.

After the last picking

Clear the stumps and roots after harvest and compost healthy leaves. Do not follow with another cabbage family crop on the same land.

Destroy diseased plant remains after harvest.

Rotation

SKUAST-Jammu advises rotating cole crops with paddy against stalk rot.

Sources

Where this comes from

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.

1Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops 2020 (Knol-khol; insect-pest and disease management in cole crops; preface)Directorate of Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu)Read the source
3Production Technology of Vegetables and Flowers (VSF-231), Part I: Vegetable production (Knol khol; diseases and insect-pests of cole crops)CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur (Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture)Read the source

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Growing knol-khol

Knol-khol in the Central plateau

When to sow it

One season, day by day

Soil, sun and warmth

Soil pH1

SunlightAI suggestionNo published guide covers this for the Central plateau, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Temperature1,3Includes AI suggestionsPart of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Water and feeding

WateringAI suggestionNo published guide covers this for the Central plateau, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

WeedingAI suggestionNo published guide covers this for the Central plateau, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Varieties and yield

Good neighbours1

Pests and diseasesAI suggestionNo published guide covers this for the Central plateau, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella)

Cabbage aphid

Cutworm

Black rot

Damping off

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1

After the last pickingAI suggestionNo published guide covers this for the Central plateau, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.