Summer vegetables may be sown till March

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Feb, 2026) The Punjab Agriculture Department has advised growers that suitable time for cultivation of summer vegetables is from February to March.

A spokesman for the department said here on Sunday that summer vegetables include bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, sponge gourd, okra, ridge gourd, brinjal/eggplant, tomato, green chili, capsicum, Apple gourd, cucumber, ash gourd etc. A temperature between 20 to 35 degrees centigrade temperature is suitable for the growth of summer vegetables, he said and added that loamy soil with good drainage and adequate organic matter is considered most suitable. He stated that applying well-decomposed farmyard manure a few days before sowing further improves soil quality. He further said that for sowing summer vegetables, farmers should use seed varieties with a germination rate of at least 80 percent.

Growers are advised to select varieties, in consultation with local agricultural experts of the Punjab Agriculture department, that are resistant to insects and diseases and suitable for local climatic conditions. He mentioned that instead of raising nurseries directly in the soil, farmers are encouraged to grow seedlings in plastic germination trays. Tomato and chili crops should be grown through seedlings. When seedlings reach an age of 30–35 days, they should be transplanted onto beds according to the recommended spacing, he added. Bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, ridge gourd, apple gourd, and cucumber should be planted on one side of the ridges, while okra and sponge gourd should be planted on both sides of the ridges.