Bitter Gourd
Sow in June, harvest around October
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
No figures for your district: its government crop records list no area or yield for this crop. Priced from mandis across your state.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 6 irrigations short
- Needs care: Warm in June
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 6 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 470 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 200 mm it can use in a normal year, and 120 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–30 °C on average, and survives 15–38 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 40 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
- Jul 36 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 34 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Sep 34 °C / 24 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Bitter Gourd: 9 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: nitrogen.
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
Likes pH 6.0–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 39 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).
Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.
Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹2,900 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹3,000 a quintal, the middle of 10 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov).
- ₹1,800 2021
- ₹2,100 2022
- ₹2,000 2023
- ₹2,230 2024
- ₹2,490 2025
Prices are usually best in February.
Typical costs are about ₹64,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
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Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.