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.
Temperate Himalaya: Kashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu, Uttarakhand hills
At a glance
Knol-khol in the Temperate Himalaya
Spring and late summer crops in the valleys and mid hills
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.About three to four months from nursery sowing to harvest, longer early in spring.
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.March to mid-April
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 mid-April.
- Sow
- Nursery
- Transplant
- Harvest
- Under cover
- Today
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Central plateau | Mid-September to October | Mid-October to November | December to January | |
| 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
Farmyard manure
200 to 250 quintals per hectare
Mix it in thoroughly while preparing the field.
Day 0
Sow
Day 90 to 120
Last picking
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.
Before sowing
Farmyard manure3
200 to 250 quintals per hectare · Mix it in thoroughly while preparing the field. · Field preparation
Day 0
Sow
Day 5 to 8
Seeds come up1,3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 90 to 120
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 knob swelling.3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
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.
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 6 hours a day
Full sun in an open spot. In shade the stems swell slowly and stay small.
Temperature1,3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Grows best at 15 to 25 °C
Takes hard frost.
Monthly temperatures for the Temperate Himalaya aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Keep the soil steadily moist all through growth; any check in growth makes the knobs fibrous. In the valley, water every week or so in dry spells.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field preparation | Farmyard manure | 200 to 250 quintals per hectare | Mix it in thoroughly while preparing the field. |
Varieties and yield
12 to 25 tonnes a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
White Vienna
Listed for the temperate areas of Doda district.
Purple Vienna
Listed for the temperate areas of Doda district.
King of Market
Listed for the temperate areas of Doda district.
Palam Tender Knob
Named by CSK HPKV, Palampur, among the common cultivars.
Good neighbours1
Organic and cultural controls only.
Cutworm (Agrotis species)
Signs
Caterpillars cut young plants at the base, mostly at night.
What to do
- Plough deep before planting to expose the caterpillars.
Cabbage butterfly (Pieris brassicae)
Signs
Caterpillars feed in groups and eat the leaves from the edges inwards.
What to do
- Release the egg parasitoid Trichogramma chilonis, 20,000 an acre, six times at weekly intervals once the butterflies appear.
- Spray Bacillus thuringiensis, 200 g an acre.
Prevention
- Plant border rows of mustard and coriander; their flowers bring in Cotesia wasps that parasitise the caterpillars.
White grubs
Signs
Grubs in the soil feed on roots; plants wilt and die.
What to do
- Plough deep before planting.
Tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura)
Signs
Caterpillars eat the leaves, often in groups.
What to do
- Put up 5 to 6 pheromone traps an acre to catch the moths.
- Spray Spodoptera NPV in the evening.
Diamondback moth
Signs
Pale green spindle shaped caterpillars feed under the leaves, then on exposed leaves.
What to do
- Release the egg parasitoid Trichogrammatoidea bactrae at weekly intervals.
Prevention
- Grow Indian mustard as a trap crop.
Black rot (Xanthomonas campestris)
Signs
V-shaped yellow patches at the leaf edges turn dark brown; the veins blacken.
What to do
- Destroy diseased plant remains after harvest.
Prevention
- Take seed only from healthy plants grown where the disease is absent.
- Treat seed in hot water at 50 °C for half an hour before sowing.
Damping off
Signs
Seedlings die before or just after they come up.
Prevention
- Use healthy seed.
- Transplant only healthy seedlings.
Stalk rot
Signs
Leaves droop and the stalk rots and turns hollow inside, with black specks.
What to do
- Pull out and destroy diseased plants.
Prevention
- Rotate with paddy.
Black leg (Phoma lingam)
Signs
Seen where rain is steady through the season. The split stem shows black streaks inside, the roots rot from below and plants collapse.
Prevention
- Sow clean seed.
- Treat seed in hot water before sowing.
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 picking1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Destroy diseased plant remains after harvest. Follow with a crop outside the cabbage family, such as peas or a cereal.
Destroy diseased plant remains after harvest.
Rotation
SKUAST-Jammu advises rotating cole crops with paddy against stalk rot.
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.
- Package 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
- Production 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
- Agriculture Contingency Plan for District: Doda, Jammu and Kashmir (28 December 2013)ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), with the Department of Agriculture, Jammu and KashmirRead the source
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