Vegetables · Bulb

Growing onion

Allium cepa · also called pyazA cool-season bulb crop grown as an annual from nursery seedlings. Leaves grow in cool weather and bulbs swell in warmth, so the season changes a lot from region to region.

Where are you growing?

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

Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail

A crate of freshly harvested red, pink and white onion bulbs — Photo: Pascal Kings · CC BY 4.0

At a glance

Onion in the Temperate Himalaya

Season
Autumn nursery with a crop that stands over winter, or a spring-planted summer crop
Sowing to last picking
Long: an overwintered crop stays in the field 7 to 8 months; a spring-planted crop about 5 months.
Nursery
September to early October

Across India

When to sow it

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

Too late this season

The window here was September to early October. The next one opens in March.

Sowing now in:Sub-tropical foothills North-west plains Gangetic plains North-east hills and valleys Arid west Central plateau Deccan plateau West coast

Nursery
Transplant
Harvest
Today

Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu Sub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, Dehradun Cold desertLadakh, Lahaul and Spiti

Compare all 12 regions

Cold desertLadakh, Lahaul and Spiti Sub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, Dehradun North-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, Delhi Gangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plains North-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, Sikkim Arid westRajasthan, Kutch, north Gujarat Central plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha Deccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north Karnataka South interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil Nadu West coastKerala, Goa, Konkan East coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra

Today

See the dates as a table

Region	Nursery	Transplant	Harvest
Temperate Himalaya	September to early OctoberMarch to early April	Late October to NovemberLate April to May	June to JulyLate August to September
Cold desert	April	Late May to early June	September to early October
Sub-tropical foothills	October to NovemberAugust	December to JanuaryOctober	May to early June
North-west plains	Late October to mid-NovemberMay to June	Last week of December to mid-JanuaryJuly to August	Late April to May
Gangetic plains	October to NovemberJune to JulyAugust to September	December to JanuaryAugust to SeptemberOctober to November	April to May
North-east hills and valleys	October to early November	Late November to December	Late March to April
Arid west	End of May to first week of JuneOctober to November	Mid to end of JulyDecember to January	End of October to end of November
Central plateau		November to DecemberJuly to August	Late March to AprilOctober to November
Deccan plateau	May to JuneAugust to SeptemberOctober to November	July to AugustSeptember to OctoberNovember to December	October to NovemberMarch to April
South interior	February to AprilMay to JuneSeptember to October	April to JuneJuly to AugustNovember to December
West coast	November to December	December to January	April to early May
East coast	May to JuneSeptember to OctoberAugust to September	July to AugustNovember to DecemberOctober to November

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

Before sowing

Field preparation

Well rotted farmyard manure

about 2 t per kanal

Work into the beds two weeks before planting.

Day 0

Sow

Day 6 to 10

Seeds come up

^1,2,3,8

Day 40 to 55

Transplant

^8,13,14,2,3

Day 150 to 240

Last picking

Water every 8 to 10 days, more at bulb formation.

Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure
about 2 t per kanal · Work into the beds two weeks before planting. · Field preparation
Day 0
Sow
Day 6 to 10
Seeds come up^1,2,3,8
Day 40 to 55
Transplant^8,13,14,2,3
Day 150 to 240
Last picking

Water every 8 to 10 days, more at bulb formation.

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

Soil pH^1,2,4,13
5.8 to 7.5
Light, deep, friable and fertile soil with good drainage: sandy loam to clay loam rich in organic matter. Waterlogging, a high water table, and strongly alkaline or saline soils do not suit it. Sandy soil needs more frequent watering and extra manure.
Sunlight^4,15
At least 10 hours a day
Needs good light: at least 10 hours a day for growth and bulbing. The kharif crop bulbs with 11 to 12 hour days, and clear sunny weather at harvest helps curing.
Temperature^1,2,4,16
Grows best at 13 to 25 °C
Takes light frost.
Monthly temperatures for the Temperate Himalaya aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

Watering

Water after planting. Little water is needed over winter; in spring water every 8 to 10 days and keep the soil moist while bulbs swell. Stop 2 weeks before lifting.

Weeding

Hand weed two or three times in spring before the crop closes in; hoe shallowly.

When	What	How much	How
Field preparation	Well rotted farmyard manure	about 2 t per kanal	Work into the beds two weeks before planting.

Sources

Varieties and yield

Typical range

2 to 3 quintals a kanal

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

Good neighbours^10,13

Grows well with

Maize
Sugarcane

Pests and diseases

Organic and cultural controls only.

Pest
Onion thrips
Signs
Silvery streaks on the leaves in warm, dry weather.
Pest
Onion maggot
Signs
Plants wilt and bulbs rot from the base.
Prevention
- Do not plant onion after onion or garlic.
- Use only well rotted manure.
Disease
Downy mildew
Signs
Pale patches with violet growth on leaves in damp spring weather.
Prevention
- Plant on well drained beds and do not overcrowd.
Disease
Purple blotch
Signs
Sunken purple spots on leaves.
Prevention
- Rotate with unrelated crops.

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed^1,2,5

Onion takes two seasons to make seed. Raise bulbs from seed in the first year, then plant these mother bulbs 45 x 20 cm apart in October; the seed crop is ready in April or May. Keep at least 1,000 m between varieties and pull out off-type and sick plants. Sun the mother bulbs for about 12 days before planting to kill downy mildew.

Onion seed stays viable for only about one year.

After the last picking

Follow with a summer vegetable such as beans, or leave the beds for a cereal; do not replant onion or garlic on the same beds next year.

Clear and destroy crop residues after harvest: the blight and anthracnose fungi survive on them.

Rotation

Do not grow onion on the same land year after year; keep 2 to 3 years between onion crops. As a winter crop it can follow cereals, groundnut or cowpea, and it does well after cauliflower, tomato or potato that got plenty of manure.

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.

10Onion: Intercultural Operations (weed control, rotation and mixed cropping)National Horticulture BoardRead the source
11Onion: Manuring and FertilizationNational Horticulture BoardRead the source
12Onion: Post Harvest Technology (curing, grading, storage)National Horticulture BoardRead the source
13How to get high yield from rabi onion? (Sable and Sonpure), Indian Horticulture, July-August 2023Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Indian Horticulture magazine)Read the source
14Scientific cultivation of kharif onion (Sable, Mahajan and Sonpure), Indian Horticulture, March-April 2021Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Indian Horticulture magazine)Read the source
16Pusa Sona: a new variety of onion (Joshi, Islam, Khar, Tomar and Pandita), Indian Horticulture, January-February 2020ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (Indian Horticulture magazine)Read the source
17Horticulture: Vegetables: Bellary onionTamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU Agritech Portal)Read the source
3Onion: Propagation (nursery beds, season of planting by state, raising seedlings, small bulblets)National Horticulture BoardRead the source
4Onion: Soil and ClimateNational Horticulture BoardRead the source
5Onion: DiseasesNational Horticulture BoardRead the source
6Onion: PestsNational Horticulture BoardRead the source
7Onion: Harvesting (and yield)National Horticulture BoardRead the source
8Onion: PlantingNational Horticulture BoardRead the source
9Onion: IrrigationNational Horticulture BoardRead the source

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Growing onion

Onion in the Temperate Himalaya

When to sow it

One season, day by day

Soil, sun and warmth

Soil pH1,2,4,13

Sunlight4,15

Temperature1,2,4,16

Water and feeding

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

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

Varieties and yield

Good neighbours10,13

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

Onion thrips

Onion maggot

Downy mildew

Purple blotch

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1,2,5

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