Growing tomato
Solanum lycopersicum · also called TamatarA warm season fruit vegetable raised in a nursery and transplanted. It needs sun, mild nights and protection from frost.
North-west plains: Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh
At a glance
Tomato in the North-west plains
Main crop transplanted November to December under frost cover; spring crop in February; rainy season crop in August2
About 5 to 6 months from nursery sowing; the winter crop under frost cover runs longest.
No published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.October2
88 to 125 days after sowing2
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Too late this season
The window here was October. The next one opens in November.
- Nursery
- Transplant
- Harvest
- Under cover
- Today
- Not suited here
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-west plains | OctoberEnd of NovemberSecond half of July | November to DecemberFebruarySecond half of August | Late November to early December (rainy season varieties) | |
| Temperate Himalaya | February to MarchMay to June (indeterminate types)AprilMarch to April | March to AprilJune to JulyEnd of MayApril to May | ||
| Cold desert | Not suited here | |||
| Sub-tropical foothills | Mid-DecemberUnder cover: December, under low poly tunnels or thatch | Late January to mid-FebruaryJanuary, into trenchesJuly, once the rains set in (rainfed areas) | ||
| Gangetic plains | June to JulySeptemberJanuary | September to October (Eastern India, autumn crop)Late December (Eastern India, spring crop) | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | September to OctoberFebruary to March | October to NovemberMid-March to April | ||
| Arid west | First week of September | Second week of October | ||
| Central plateau | June to JulyNovember | July to AugustDecember to January | ||
| Deccan plateau | December to March | |||
| South interior | May to JuneNovember to December | December to March (Karnataka) | ||
| West coast | October to November | |||
| East coast | May to JuneNovember to December | June to JulyDecember to January | ||
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
Nursery
Well rotted farmyard manure
5 quintals per 50 m² of nursery bed (2 marla)
Mix into the beds and water them at least 10 days before sowing.
Field preparation
Well rotted farmyard manure
10 tonnes per acre
Plough into the soil.
Day 0
Sow
Day 150 to 180
Last picking
No published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure
5 quintals per 50 m² of nursery bed (2 marla) · Mix into the beds and water them at least 10 days before sowing. · Nursery
Well rotted farmyard manure2
10 tonnes per acre · Plough into the soil. · Field preparation
Day 0
Sow
Day 25 to 30
Day 88 to 125
First picking2
Day 150 to 180
Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water straight after transplanting, then every 6 to 7 days in summer and every 10 to 15 days in winter; about 14 to 15 irrigations in all.2
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,2,5
6 to 7.5
Well drained loam rich in organic matter. It grows on many soils, but light soils from sandy loam to loam suit it most.
Sunlight2,5
Full sun. Bright sunshine while fruits set gives a deep red colour.
Temperature2,5
Grows best at 20 to 28 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the North-west plains aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering2
Water straight after transplanting, then every 6 to 7 days in summer and every 10 to 15 days in winter; about 14 to 15 irrigations in all.
Weeding2
Give one hoeing after transplanting.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursery | Well rotted farmyard manure | 5 quintals per 50 m² of nursery bed (2 marla) | Mix into the beds and water them at least 10 days before sowing. |
| Field preparation | Well rotted farmyard manure | 10 tonnes per acre | Plough into the soil. |
Varieties and yield
25 to 40 tonnes a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
PTH-2
Hybrid; resistant to late blight and root-knot nematode
TH-1
Hybrid; moderately resistant to late blight
Punjab Varkha Bahar-4
Rainy season; resistant to leaf curl virus
Punjab Varkha Bahar-1
Rainy season
Punjab Varkha Bahar-2
Rainy season
Punjab Ratta
Winter and spring
Punjab Upma
Winter and spring
Punjab NR-7
Winter and spring; resistant to root-knot nematode and Fusarium wilt
Punjab Chhuhara
Winter and spring
Punjab Swarna, Punjab Gaurav, Punjab Sartaj
For polynet houses
Punjab Sona Cherry, Punjab Kesar Cherry, Punjab Red Cherry
Cherry types for protected growing
Pests and diseases2
Organic and cultural controls only.
Whitefly and aphid
Signs
They suck sap from the leaves and lower the yield.
What to do
- Clear weeds on bunds, waste land, road sides and channels, where they breed.
Prevention
- Use nitrogen sparingly; too much encourages them.
Fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera)
Signs
Caterpillars bore holes in the fruits, which then rot.
What to do
- Collect infested fruits regularly and bury them deep.
- Pick ripe fruits before they are attacked.
Early blight and late blight
Signs
Dark spots with rings on leaves and fruits (early blight); dark water-soaked patches that spread fast after February rain (late blight).
What to do
- Take seed only from healthy fruits.
Prevention
- Grow the late blight resistant hybrids PTH-2 and TH-1.
Leaf curl virus
Signs
Stunted plants with leaves rolled downwards and crinkled; few flowers and fruits. Spread by whitefly.
What to do
- Pull out and burn affected plants.
Prevention
- Grow leaf curl resistant varieties such as the Punjab Varkha Bahar series.
Mosaic virus
Signs
Mottled, distorted leaves. Spread through seed and aphids.
What to do
- Avoid handling plants more than needed.
Prevention
- Collect seed only from virus-free plants.
Root-knot nematode
Signs
Yellow, patchy, weak plants with galls on the roots.
What to do
- Solarise wet nursery beds under clear polythene for 40 days in May and June.
- Dig 40 day old toria or taramira into nursery beds 10 days before sowing.
- Green manure with sunhemp or marigold; do not use dhaincha.
Prevention
- Grow the resistant PTH-2 or Punjab NR-7.
- Rotate with garlic.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,2
Grow seed plants at least 50 m from other tomato varieties and pull out off-types and diseased plants. Use the first 7 to 8 pickings.
When the seed is ready
Seeds are mature 30 to 35 days after flowering, when the fruits are fully red and ripe.
Cleaning the seed
Crush ripe fruits and let the pulp ferment for 1 to 2 days, then add water: pulp and skins float and the seeds sink. Wash the seeds 3 or 4 times.
Dry in shade for a day, then in mild sun, to 7 to 8% moisture. Dry seed keeps up to 12 months in sealed foil pouches.
After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Remove the plants after the last picking and destroy diseased remains. Follow with a cereal, onion or garlic, and keep potato, chilli and brinjal off the same land for a year.
Rotation
Leave at least a year before tomato or another solanaceous crop (chilli, brinjal, capsicum, potato) goes back on the same land. Follow with cereals, cabbage family crops, radish, onion, garlic or groundnut. In root-knot nematode fields, garlic in the rotation helps.
Growing under cover2
Cover the winter crop with sarkanda thatch or polythene to save it from frost; dwarf types can be covered with polythene bags. Hybrid nurseries can be raised in a UV-stabilised polyhouse: sow in the first week of November to transplant at the end of November, or in the last week of December to transplant in mid-February.
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.
- Crop Production Guide: Horticulture Crops 2020 (Tomato; Organic Cultural Practices; Protected Cultivation; Seed Production)Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Directorate of Horticulture, Tamil NaduRead the source
- Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops 2020 (Tomato; insect-pest and disease management in solanaceous vegetables; cropping systems; protected cultivation)Directorate of Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu)Read the source
- Package of Practices for Cultivation of Vegetables 2021 (Tomato)Punjab Agricultural University, LudhianaRead the source
- Production Technology of Vegetables and Flowers (VSF-231), Part I: Vegetable production (Tomato)CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur (Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture)Read the source
- AESA based IPM package: TomatoNational Institute of Plant Health Management and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Government of IndiaRead the source
- Tomato: package of practices (source NHB)Vikaspedia (Government of India), citing National Horticulture BoardRead the source
- Good Agricultural Practices in Tomato Cultivation: a technical manual for KarnatakaGIZ Green Innovation Centres India with University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot and Karnataka State Department of HorticultureRead the source
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