Fruits and vegetables to grow in summer season in India
Summer is a good season for vegetables and fruit farming. Vegetables that like to grow under full sunshine enjoy long days and warm climate; thrive well in harsh Indian summer. The good thing about summer vegetable plants is that the same ones can be continued in monsoon season as well. Summer is accompanied by dehydration, skin sensitivities, and mineral deficiencies, etc. Therefore, our primary goal should be to include summer fruits and vegetables that fulfill the criteria.
List of vegetables to grow in summer season in India
Tomato
Tomato plant loves the clear sky and sunshine. Tomato plants can be started at any time of the year by seeds. Tomato plants are predominantly summer crops, but it can be cultivated throughout the year. Tomatoes are sensitive to both excess water levels as well as little water. The main challenge in tomato cultivation is to maintain an even moisture supply. During the summer season, it is necessary to irrigate the crop once a week while irrigating it once in every two weeks is sufficient. For the spring-summer crop, the spacing maintained is about 75 X 45 cm and 75 X 60 cm for the autumn-winter crop.
Brinjal
Brinjal is also known as eggplant. Brinjal is a warm-season crop susceptible to frost. It is said that the consumption of Brinjal in summers safeguards children against measles. There are many varieties of different sizes, colors, and shapes. Brinjal may seem like an unlikely addition in a list of vegetables good for the summer. This wholesome vegetable is mainly consumed as a side dish in India and pairs well with almost all combinations of spices.
Brinjal is a warm-weather crop that is harvested in mid- to late summer. Brinjal plants thrive in high temperatures much as peppers or tomatoes do. Brinjal needs well-drained soil and shouldn’t be planted until at least 3 weeks after the last frost. Even though they love the heat, Brinjal roots need to be moist and cool throughout the growing season, so be sure to add mulch on the ground to help the root systems retain as much moisture as possible. Brinjal does well when companion planted with amaranth, beans, peppers, and spinach or thyme.
Amaranth
This is one of the best leafy vegetables to grow in the summer season in India. Amaranth is a summer crop that needs warm soil and an abundance of sunlight to do well. Related to beets, quinoa, and Swiss chard, amaranth can be harvested for its grain or its nutritious leaves. Amaranth will easily adapt to most soil types, but it thrives in well-drained, fertile soil. Then, keep the soil moist and harvest as soon as you see birds interested in and pecking at the plants. Plant amaranth with eggplant, or plant with corn to shade the soil and also help to retain water.
Okra
This is one of the best vegetables to grow in the summer in India. Okra crop is a hot-weather-loving plant. Sow Okra directly in the garden several weeks after the last frost has passed. If transplanting from seeds that were started indoors, be extremely gentle with seedlings, as they have delicate roots. Plant Okra in full sun in rich soil and be sure to harvest regularly. Pick okra pods when they have grown about 3 to 4 inches. Do not let pods over-mature or the Okra plant will cease producing. When looking for companion plants for okra crop, consider melons, cucumbers, and eggplant. Okra as it is popularly called ushers the arrival of summer. Tender forefinger-sized ones, stuffed with spices make a delicious vegetable and seed sowing can be done from March to July.
Cucumber
This is one of the best vegetables to grow in the summer season. One of the most popular vegetables during the summer season, cucumbers is not only nutritious but also versatile. Cucumbers are prolific producers and perfect for eating straight off the vine, tossing in salads. Plant Cucumbers in rich soil in full sun in the spring and water regularly for summer-long harvests. Corn is one of the ultimate companion plants for cucumbers, and beans and peas are also good to encourage cucumbers to do well. Cucumber can be grown throughout India in the summer season. Cucumbers are sown in round pits at convenient places to let them trail on the house roofs, pergolas, or bowers. The seed is sown directly.
Chilli
This is another best vegetables to grow in the summer season in India. Chilli as a spice is popular in India. The pungent varieties of chilies are grown in the hot summer season. The non-pungent varieties are delicate and also susceptible to diseases. The Chilli seedlings are transplanted.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes differ from regular potatoes in that they like warm weather. Then, these tropical plants are cold-sensitive and do best when planted about a month after the last frost date. As long as both the days and the soil are warm, sweet potatoes are very easy to grow and will quickly mature to an abundance of pretty vines that spread as wide as you let them. Plant Sweet potatoes in well-drained soil with compost mixed in. Sweet potato plants grow well near dill, thyme, and parsnips. Do not plant the sweet potatoes near squash as both vines spread and can cause overcrowding.
Pumpkin
Pumpkins are cucurbit vegetables that grow very well during the summer season. The size of a pumpkin varies from 5 kg to 40 kg. Because of the fruit size, pumpkin climber is allowed to creep on the ground rather than on a trellis.
Bottle gourd
In India, a bottle gourd creeper trailing over thatched huts in villages with bright glistening white blossoms and tender, smooth, long, light green, and cylindrical fruits is a catching sight. Bottle gourd plant effectively keeps blood pressure under control, and this is one reason that this vegetable is indispensable during the summers. During hot weather, your blood pressure tends to drop.
List of fruits to grow in summer season in India
India is rich in plant diversity. During the summer season, some of the best tropical fruits are available in India. Most of these fruits are formed on naturally growing wild, native Indian trees in cities, villages, and forests. Many of these fruits are cultivated in farms, orchards, and gardens. Â Summer season fruits are a great source of energy, hydration, and nutrition for our bodies to beat the summer heat. Let us understand more about the important summer season fruits in India.
Summer fruits are fruits that help to provide essential nutrients and hydration during extreme heat conditions in the summer season. Some examples of summer fruits in India are watermelon, grapes, muskmelon, mangoes, litchis, and peaches, etc. Most of these fruits are abundantly obtainable during the summer season. They require warm temperatures to grow and so are harvested only during summertime. Most of these summer fruits are at their peak in terms of taste, flavor, and harvest during this summer season.
Mango
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Indian summers are incomplete without mango fruit. It is undoubtedly the king of fruits in the Indian subcontinent and there are dozens of varieties grown all over India. There are well planned commercial mango orchards with amazing, authentic plant varieties. Mango plant grows wild in Indian conditions providing lip-smacking flavors. Mango season starts in the summer season and continues till the middle of the monsoon. Dwarf grafted mango plants are grown in containers in terrace gardening. Mango plants are found in abundance only in the summer season. Mango is a well-liked fruit and hence it is also known as the ‘King of fruits’. Mangoes are rich in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Jackfruit
Jackfruit is widely cultivated and popular in the Indian subcontinent; it is the national fruit of Bangladesh. It is in season during the summer season. The most commonly consumed part of jackfruit is the flesh, and edible fruit pods both when ripe and unripe. The raw fruit is eaten as a vegetable and the evergreen tree is huge and needs plenty of space to grow. Jackfruits are formed on the main trunk of a tree.
Jamun
The black Jamun fruits have a combination of sweet, mildly sour, and astringent flavor and tend to color the tongue purple. It is an evergreen tree that grows wild in India in summer. Jamuns are one of the best summer fruits in India to gift to your loved ones as they are promises of good health, as well as taste. A slow-growing species, it can reach heights of up to about 30 m and can live more than 100 years. When in the fruiting stage a back-purple color carpet is formed on the ground due to fallen fruits.
Muskmelon
Muskmelon makes for one of the most loved summer season fruits because of its high water content. Muskmelons are nutritious and refreshing fruits. Their high alkaline and water content makes them a perfect summer season fruit. Then, they help in hydrating the body and relieving acidic effects of the extreme temperatures. They are a very good coolant for the body. Muskmelons are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, iron, etc.
Tadgola
Tadgola a great fruit especially to have in the summer season, it cools you down although peeling the fruit is a little messy job. These fruits are fleshy, watery, sweet jelly seeds formed inside tough Palmyra palm fruits. Tadgola fruit is translucent pale-white, similar to that of the lychee but with a milder flavor and no pit. This watery Tadgola fruit is heavenly relief in Indian summers. This palm has a growth pattern, large size, and cleans habits that make it an attractive ornamental tree, cultivated for planting in gardens and parks as landscape palm species.
Watermelon
Watermelon fruit is a popular summer fruit as it is high in water content. More than 90% of this fruit is water, which helps in providing sufficient hydration to our body and moisturizing the skin. It helps in cooling the body down and then cleansing the body of toxins. These super popular fruits are massively grown in India during the summer season. The plant is an annual creeper, and 2 to 3 fruits per plant are formed on the ground.
Wax jambu
These bell-shaped white, pink and red waxy fruits are formed on a medium-sized evergreen tree. The plant is a close relative of Jamun tree and the fruit is extremely watery; it has a mildly sweet flavor and cotton candy-like mesh in the middle that holds the seeds. Many plant varieties can be cultivated in orchard and tree is a heavy fruit bearer.
Santara or Orange
The sweet-sour flavor of oranges can be an instant energizer in the hot summer season. Oranges are also a good source of vitamin C and various other nutrients, making them a great addition to your diet. Oranges are a good summer fruit as they contain more than 80% of water. They help in hydrating the body well and providing the needed nutrient requirement. During the summer season, our bodies tend to lose potassium, a very important essential mineral, through sweat. Oranges are high in potassium and help cater to the body’s potassium requirement well.
Guava
Guava or Jamfal is famously grown in India. These Guava fruits are green, ovate, and contain edible seeds. The leaves of this Guava tree are used for making herbal tea. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, the fruits have a delicious taste, relished by everyone. It is one of the best summer fruits in India.
Aloo Bukhara or Plum
Plum fruit which is also called Aloo Bukhara is super healthy. These fruits are sweet and sour, with juicy pulp and these are one of the most loved fruits of the summer season that has multiple health benefits, as the fruits are rich in vitamin A.
Papaya
Another great fruit that you can eat during summers is papaya fruit. This fruit contains papain, a compound that is good for your gastrointestinal health. It helps in curing indigestion and bloating, something that is common during summers. These yellow color fruits are famous in India, for their taste and health advantages. They are good for the digestive system. Not only the fruits but the leaves of this papaya tree too have multiple health benefits.
Grapes
Grapes are fruits that are easily available in the summer season. The fruits are high in antioxidants and are a rich source of potassium. When it comes to summer season fruits, these sweet mini fruits are a treat in the mouth. They have about 81% of water, thus they can keep you hydrated in the hot summer months. These summer fruits, apart from being rich in various nutrients, have multiple health benefits as well. Grapes are one of the best summer fruits in India.
Pineapple
Pineapple is another fruit that is appealing in the summer season. It is a low-calorie fruit that is rich in fiber. Grow pineapple plants in tropical or near-tropical gardens. Pineapples can grow indoors if it is warm and there is plenty of light.
Kiwi
The little kiwi berries are rich in vitamin C and 80% of it, is water that makes it a good summer season fruit. The kiwi fruits have recently become so popular fruit in India, that they are readily seen in the markets. In the summer season, high temperatures and low humidity may cause scorching of leaves. Sunscald and heat stress is the main problems in its cultivation in lower areas. Deep, rich, well-drained sandy loam soils are ideal for the cultivation of kiwi fruit.
Peach
Peach tastes sweet and is extremely hydrating during the hot summers of India. The Peach fruit has 89% of water, so eating them at breakfast can be a good idea, as they will help you stay hydrated even if you forget to drink lots of water.
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