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.
Temperate Himalaya: Kashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu, Uttarakhand hills
At a glance
Tomato in the Temperate Himalaya
Spring to summer in the mid hills; summer only in the high hills3,5
About 5 to 6 months from nursery sowing; the field season ends with the first autumn frost.
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.70 to 90 days after sowing
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 February
The next sowing here is February to March.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | ||
| North-west plains | OctoberEnd of NovemberSecond half of July | November to DecemberFebruarySecond half of August | Late November to early December (rainy season varieties) | |
| 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
Field preparation
Well rotted farmyard manure
200 to 250 quintals per hectare
Apply all of it at field preparation.
Day 0
Sow
Day 70 to 90
First picking
Every 4 to 6 days while the plants bear.
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.
Day 150 to 180
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
Well rotted farmyard manure3
200 to 250 quintals per hectare · Apply all of it at field preparation. · Field preparation
Day 0
Sow
Day 25 to 30
Day 70 to 90
First 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.
Every 4 to 6 days while the plants bear.
Day 150 to 180
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 carefully: both too much and too little harm the crop. Too little water stops flower development, drops flowers and stops fruit growth.3
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 Temperate Himalaya aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering3
Water carefully: both too much and too little harm the crop. Too little water stops flower development, drops flowers and stops fruit growth.
Weeding3
Weeds compete most between 30 and 50 days after transplanting. Hand weed in the later stages along with top dressings.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field preparation | Well rotted farmyard manure | 200 to 250 quintals per hectare | Apply all of it at field preparation. |
Varieties and yield
250 to 300 quintals a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Solan Vajra
Solan Gola
Yashwant (A-2)
Roma
Marglobe
Palam Pink
Bacterial wilt resistant
Palam Pride
Bacterial wilt resistant
Solan Shagun
Hybrid
Solan Sindhur
Hybrid
Solan Garima
Hybrid
Organic and cultural controls only.
Fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera)
Signs
Caterpillars bore holes into the fruits, which then rot.
What to do
- Raise African marigold nursery 15 days before the tomato nursery and plant it as a trap crop.
- Put up pheromone traps to watch moth numbers and change the lures every 2 to 3 weeks.
- Put up bird perches to bring in mynahs and drongos, which eat the caterpillars.
- Release the egg parasitoid Trichogramma from flowering.
- Spray neem seed kernel extract 5% against eggs and young caterpillars.
Prevention
- Plough deep in summer to expose resting stages in the soil.
- Keep the field clean.
Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), carrier of leaf curl virus
Signs
Small white insects under the leaves suck sap; they spread leaf curl virus.
What to do
- Hang yellow sticky traps.
- Pull out plants showing leaf curl.
- Grow tall barrier crops such as maize or sorghum around the field.
- Spray neem seed kernel extract 5%.
Prevention
- Raise the nursery under fine insect-proof net.
- Conserve natural enemies such as ladybird beetles, lacewings and spiders.
Serpentine leaf miner (Liriomyza trifolii)
Signs
Winding pale tunnels in the leaves.
What to do
- Hang yellow sticky traps.
- Conserve its parasitoids and predators.
Prevention
- Avoid too much nitrogen.
- Beans grown as an intercrop reduce attack.
Spider mite (Tetranychus species)
Signs
Fine webbing and pale speckled leaves.
What to do
- Remove badly affected plants.
- Conserve predatory mites, ladybird beetles and lacewings.
Prevention
- Plant tall border crops such as maize or sorghum.
Damping off
Signs
Seedlings rot at the stem base in the nursery.
What to do
- Give seed a hot water treatment at 52 °C for 30 minutes before sowing.
Buckeye rot
Signs
Brown spots with rings on fruits, often where they touch the soil.
What to do
- Stake plants and keep the field well drained.
Prevention
- Grow resistant varieties.
Bacterial wilt
Signs
Plants wilt and stay stunted; the inside of the stem turns brown.
What to do
- Rotate with cabbage family crops.
- Transplant healthy seedlings.
Prevention
- Grow resistant varieties such as Palam Pink and Palam Pride.
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 Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Clear the plants after the last picking or the first frost. Compost healthy remains and destroy diseased ones. Follow with garlic, peas or a cabbage family crop, not potato, chilli or brinjal.
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 cover10
Plastic low tunnels suit nursery raising and early growing in the mid and high hills, where they cut damage from hail, cold, frost and strong wind.
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
- 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
AI Farm Manager · In development
Plan this crop on your land
AI Farm Manager will turn guides like this one into a plan for your own plot. It doesn't make plans yet.