Bitter Gourd

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 370 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 550 mm it can use in a normal year, and 410 mm in a dry year.

Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.

Temperature

Grows best at 22–30 °C on average, and survives 15–38 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Jun 29 °C / 18 °C
• Jul 26 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 25 °C / 17 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 25 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Bitter Gourd: 9 out of 10 (good).

Not in the score: sulphur, zinc, iron and 3 more.

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.

Likes pH 6.0–6.5.

Money

Yield: about 57 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October 2026): about ₹3,750 a quintal at mandis in your district.

This week: about ₹3,625 a quintal, the middle of 14 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹1.1 lakh a season after typical costs.

Prices are usually best in March.

Typical costs are about ₹93,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.