Growing rajma
Phaseolus vulgaris · also called rajma, rajmashKidney bean grown for its dry grain. In the hills it is a summer crop, often climbing on maize; in the plains it is sown in winter.
Cold desert: Ladakh, Lahaul and Spiti
Not a crop for this region
Ladakh and Spiti have a very short frost-free season and cold nights. Rajma needs about four frost-free months and is damaged below about 5 °C, so it is risky there outside the lower valleys.
Where it grows nearest
Temperate Himalaya: Kashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu, Uttarakhand hills
Sow April to mid-May (April only above 1,500 m)
See the Temperate Himalaya guideSub-tropical foothills: Jammu, Kangra, Dehradun
Sow Second half of March
See the Sub-tropical foothills guide
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Not suited here
- Sow
- Harvest
- Today
- Not suited here
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold desert | Not suited here | |||
| Temperate Himalaya | April to mid-May (April only above 1,500 m)Last week of May to first week of July | September to October | ||
| Sub-tropical foothills | Second half of March | June | ||
| North-west plains | Late October to mid-November | Late February to March | ||
| Gangetic plains | Late October to mid-November | Late February to March | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | Mid-October to November | February to early March | ||
| Arid west | Late October to mid-November | Late February to March | ||
| Central plateau | Late October to mid-November | Late February to March | ||
| Deccan plateau | 15 June to 15 July15 October to 15 November | |||
| South interior | Late October to mid-November | Late February to March | ||
| West coast | Not suited here | |||
| East coast | Not suited here | |||
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH2,3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
5.5 to 7
Well drained, medium to deep loam or clay loam. Lime acid soil before sowing. It does not stand waterlogging.
Sunlight3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun in an open field. In places where the sucking bug is common, avoid sowing in shade.
Temperature2,3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Grows best at 15 to 25 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the Cold desert aren't in the library yet.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,3
Save seed from a healthy crop grown where anthracnose and bacterial blight do not occur.
When the seed is ready
Pods turn yellow, then brown and crisp, and most leaves fall. Early pods split if left too long.
Cleaning the seed
Pick early pods by hand as they ripen. Sun the plants for three or four days and thresh on a dry day by treading or beating the pods on a tarp.
Dry the grain again for three or four days, sort out damaged seed and store in a cool, dark, dry place. Watch for bean weevils.
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.
- Policy document on management practices of rajmash cultivation in hills (NMHS project, 8 August 2023)G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar (hosted by G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, NMHS)Read the source
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