Sourced, stage-by-stage agronomy for 210 crops — a reading of the library Laisha works from.
Each guide runs the length of a season: what the crop needs at establishment, through its stages, to harvest and storage — with the common problems named at the point they actually appear rather than in a list at the end.
Every figure carries its source. A spacing, a dose or a sowing window with nothing behind it is somebody’s habit written down, and a farmer is being asked to spend money on it. Where the evidence is thin the guide says so instead of rounding it into confidence.
They are free to read here, with no account and no sign-in, and the first two thousand words of every crop — which is most of the practical answer — stay open to anybody who finds this page.
A guide is written for a crop, not for your field. Your soil, your water and your weather still decide, and each guide states what it assumed.
AbacaMusa textilisAbout eighteen to twenty-four months to the first cutting, and then a cutting every three to six months from the suckers for ten years or more. · Heat, heavy well-spread rainfall, deep well-drained soil and shelter from wind.
Adzuki beanVigna angularisAbout three to four months from sowing. · Warm soil, steady moisture at flowering, and gentle handling at harvest.
AjwainTrachyspermum ammiAbout five to six months from sowing to harvest. · A cool dry growing season and very little water.
AlfalfaMedicago sativaAbout sixty to ninety days from sowing to the first cut, then a cut every four to six weeks through the growing season for three to ten years. · Deep well-drained soil that is not sour, the right inoculant, and a grower who knows when to stop cutting.
AlmondPrunus dulcisA published source records a grafted tree beginning a real economic crop in about its third year, and reaching full production at five to six years. · A genuine grafted tree of a known sweet variety, at least one real, different compatible pollenizer variety nearby, and real, managed honeybee colonies present during a short, early flowering window.
Aloe veraAloe veraAbout twelve to eighteen months to the first cutting, then three or four cuttings a year for four or five years. · Sun, drainage, and a buyer you have actually met.
AmaranthAmaranthus cruentusLeaves from about three to four weeks after sowing, and grain at about ninety to one hundred and thirty days. · Warmth, a fine firm seedbed, and a field that is not already full of pigweed.
AmlaPhyllanthus emblicaAbout four to five years to the first real crop from a grafted tree, and ten to full bearing. · Sun, drainage, and a second variety nearby to pollinate it.
AppleMalus domesticaA genuine multi-year wait before first commercial harvest: as early as 2 to 3 years on a dwarfing rootstock in a high-density system, more commonly 3 to 5 years on a semi-dwarfing or semi-vigorous rootstock, and considerably longer on a vigorous or seedling rootstock. · A real, sufficient winter chilling period matched to the chosen variety, a genuinely compatible second variety planted nearby for cross-pollination, and a clear, early decision on which real market — fresh dessert, processing, or dedicated cider — this planting is for.
ApricotPrunus armeniacaRoughly three to four years from planting a grafted young tree to a real crop, and then twenty to thirty years from the same tree. · A site where cold air drains away, because this tree flowers before anything else and frost decides most seasons.
Areca nutAreca catechuFive to eight years from planting out to the first real crop, after one to two years in a nursery, and the palm then bears for forty to sixty years. · Heavy steady rainfall or reliable irrigation, deep soil that drains, and shelter from wind.
ArrowrootMaranta arundinaceaAbout ten to twelve months from planting to digging. · Warm, moist, well-drained ground with some shade, and a free day when it is dug.
AshwagandhaWithania somniferaAbout five to six months from sowing to lifting the roots. · Light dry soil and a long dry finish.
AsparagusAsparagus officinalisA light cutting in the second spring after planting crowns, and a full cutting season from the third. · Deep well-drained ground, patience for two years, and the discipline to stop cutting on time.
AvocadoPersea americanaA seedling grown from a discarded pit can take four to six years to bear fruit, and sometimes as long as ten, but no real commercial grower plants one for exactly that reason. · A genuine grafted tree of a known variety, on a rootstock chosen for real resistance to root rot, excellent drainage, and at least one real, opposite-type tree nearby for a fuller fruit set.
BaelAegle marmelosAbout four to five years from a grafted tree, or seven to eight from a seedling. · Almost nothing, once it is three years old.
Bambara groundnutVigna subterraneaAbout ninety to one hundred and seventy days from sowing, depending on the kind, with fresh pods edible some weeks before the dry harvest. · Warm weather, light sandy soil, and a dry spell at the end so the pods can ripen and dry in the ground.
BananaMusa × paradisiacaAbout 12 to 15 months from planting to your first bunch. · Water it can rely on, deep soil that never stands in water, and a great deal of potash.
BarleyHordeum vulgareSpring barley: about 90 to 110 days. · A cool growing season, well-drained soil that is not strongly acid, and nitrogen applied in the right amount at the right time — too little limits yield, too much (or too late) ruins malting quality and causes lodging.
BasilOcimum basilicumAbout seven to nine weeks from sowing to the first cut, then a cut every few weeks. · Warmth.
Bay laurelLaurus nobilisAbout three to four years from a young plant before there is anything worth picking. · Shelter from cold drying wind, and shade to dry the leaf in.
BeetrootBeta vulgarisAbout two to three months from sowing, with leaves pickable well before that. · Loose deep soil and steady water.
BerZiziphus mauritianaAbout three years from a budded plant, and a full crop from year five or six. · A hard cutting back every single year, and the fruit fly kept out.
Bitter gourdMomordica charantiaFirst fruit about fifty-five to seventy days after sowing, then a picking every two or three days for months. · Warmth, a trellis, bees at flowering, and protection from fruit fly.
Black gramVigna mungoAbout seventy to ninety days from sowing to the first picking, which fits neatly after a rice crop. · Warmth and residual soil moisture, and a resistant kind if the virus is present where you are.
Black pepperPiper nigrumRoughly three to four years from planting a rooted cutting to the first real harvest, and then twenty years or more of picking from the same vine. · A support to climb, high rainfall, shade while young, and ground where water never sits at the base of the vine.
BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumA few berries in the second year, a real crop in the fourth, full bearing around the sixth to eighth. · Acid soil.
Bottle gourdLagenaria sicerariaFirst fruit about sixty to seventy-five days after sowing, then a picking every two or three days. · Warmth, a strong trellis, steady water, and night-flying insects at flowering.
BreadfruitArtocarpus altilisAbout three to six years from planting to the first fruit, after which a tree bears heavily every year for fifty years or more. · Heat, no frost, deep soil that drains, and space for a very large spreading tree.
Brussels sproutsBrassica oleracea var. gemmiferaAbout six to seven months from sowing, then picking for two or three months. · Firm ground and a long season.
BuckwheatFagopyrum esculentumRoughly seventy to ninety days from sowing to harvest, which is faster than any other seed crop in this library. · Frost-free weather from sowing to harvest, and poor-to-moderate soil rather than rich soil.
CabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitataAbout 70 days from planting for an early, fresh-market variety, up to about 120 days for a late, storage-type variety — most of that time in the open field after a shorter nursery stage rather than one single fixed number for the whole crop. · Cool, steady temperatures between about 4 and 24 degrees Celsius (39 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit), a genuinely early decision about fresh, storage or processing markets, and land with no recent history of clubroot or other brassica crops.
Cape gooseberryPhysalis peruvianaAbout five to six months from sowing, then picking for several months. · Free-draining soil, something to lean on, and patience about ripeness.
CarambolaAverrhoa carambolaAbout three to four years from a grafted tree, then two or three crops a year. · Warmth, no frost, steady water and shelter from wind.
CarawayCarum carviAbout thirteen to fifteen months. · A cold winter between its two summers, and a first year free of weeds.
CardamomElettaria cardamomumAbout two to three years from planting a sucker to the first real crop, after which a planting yields for ten to fifteen years. · Shade, high rainfall spread through the year, deep soil rich in leaf mould, and no standing water.
CarrotDaucus carotaAbout 70 to 80 days from direct seeding to harvest under good conditions, with no nursery stage at all, unlike this library's cabbage and tomato guides. · Deep, loose, stone-free soil so the single taproot can grow straight, cool temperatures between about 16 and 21 degrees Celsius (61 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit), and careful thinning of a direct-seeded stand rather than transplanting.
CashewAnacardium occidentaleA traditional seedling tree needs about three years before any real production and about eight years before a real economic harvest. · Real drought tolerance and well-drained, even genuinely poor or sandy soil, a real dry season for flowering, and, once harvested, correct real processing before the kernel inside its own caustic shell is safe to touch or eat.
CassavaManihot esculentaAbout 8 to 10 months is usually best. · Warmth and a piece of healthy stem.
CastorRicinus communisAbout four to six months from sowing to the first picking, and this crop makes no food at any point. · Warm weather, ground that drains, and a plan for keeping the seed away from children and animals.
Cauliflower & broccoliBrassica oleracea var. botrytis / var. italicaAbout 7 to 12 weeks from transplanting for cauliflower's earliest real maturity, about 14 to 15 weeks total for broccoli's own whole real growth season, plus a shorter nursery stage before either goes to the field. · Cool, steady temperatures, a genuinely early decision about which crop and which real market you are growing for, and land with no recent history of clubroot or other brassica cropping.
CeleryApium graveolensAbout four to five months from sowing, of which the first two are in the nursery. · Water, constantly, and rich soil that holds it.
ChamomileMatricaria chamomillaAbout two to three months to the first flowers, and picking for six weeks after that. · Hands at picking time, and very little else.
ChayoteSechium eduleFirst fruits about three to five months after planting, then picking every few days for years. · A strong overhead support, steady moisture, and mild weather without hard frost or long fierce heat.
CherryPrunus aviumRoughly four to five years from planting a grafted tree on a dwarfing root, longer on a vigorous one, and then twenty to forty years from the same tree. · A dry spell in the last weeks before harvest, and another cherry kind flowering at the same time unless yours sets fruit alone.
ChestnutCastanea sativaRoughly five to eight years from a grafted tree to a first crop and longer from a seedling, and then several hundred years from the same tree. · Acid soil that drains freely, and a second kind nearby, because most chestnuts will not set nuts from their own pollen.
ChickpeaCicer arietinumThis guide could not independently confirm a single universal days-to-maturity figure for chickpea. · A genuinely dry, well-drained field more than a wet one, moderate moisture right at flowering and early pod fill, and early, careful watching for Ascochyta blight and the pod borer.
ChicoryCichorium intybusGenuinely different by real chain: radicchio and sugarloaf head up within weeks, much like this library's lettuce guide's own heading types, while witloof and root chicory both need a full growing season to build the root before any real harvest at all — witloof's own second stage, forcing, then adds roughly three to four further weeks in darkness (Stage 8). · A full, undisturbed season to build a strong, straight root for witloof or root chicory, or steady, lettuce-like care through a shorter season for radicchio and sugarloaf, plus total darkness and careful humidity control for anyone forcing witloof chicons.
Chilli & sweet pepperCapsicum annuumAbout 3 to 4 months in total counting the nursery stage: roughly 6 to 8 weeks raising transplants under protection, then a further 60 to 90 days or so in the field from transplanting to first harvest, depending on variety and climate. · Warm, frost-free weather, a real, early decision about sweet or hot and fresh or drying, and steady, consistent watering through flowering and fruit set.
CinnamonCinnamomum verumAbout two to three years from planting to the first cutting back, and about another year and a half to the first real bark harvest, after which the bush is cut every one to two years for decades. · Heat, heavy well-spread rainfall and sandy soil that drains, which is one of the few crops that genuinely prefers poor sand.
CloveSyzygium aromaticumRoughly six to eight years to the first flowering and fifteen to twenty to full bearing, and then a hundred years or more from the same tree. · Warm wet tropical conditions, deep soil that drains, and shelter from wind while young.
CocoaTheobroma cacaoA genuine multi-year wait: roughly 4 to 6 months raising seedlings in a nursery, then 3 to 4 more years in the field before a first real harvest, with full commercial bearing not usually reached until year 5 to 8. · Real, consistent warmth and humidity, some form of deliberate shade decision made early, and real, careful handling at harvest to protect the same trunk flower cushions that will produce every future year's crop.
CoconutCocos nuciferaFirst bearing: around 3 to 4 years after field planting for a Dwarf or Hybrid palm, or 6 to 10 years for a Tall palm. · Consistent tropical warmth with no frost, 1,500 to 2,500 millimetres of well-distributed water a year, and a fertiliser programme that treats potassium and chloride as seriously as nitrogen — coconut is one of the few crops anywhere that genuinely benefits from applied common salt on chloride-poor soil.
CoffeeCoffea arabicaA genuine multi-year wait: roughly 6 to 12 months raising seedlings in a nursery, then 3 to 4 more years in the field before a first real harvest, with full commercial bearing not usually reached until year 5 to 8. · An honest match between species and climate — cool highland conditions and altitude for Arabica, or lowland heat for Robusta — decided before planting, plus real patience through several unproductive early years.
Common beanPhaseolus vulgarisAbout 3 to 4 months for dry beans. · Steady, moderate rain and soil that drains.
CorianderCoriandrum sativumLeaves in about thirty to forty-five days, and dry seed at about ninety to one hundred and twenty. · Cool weather.
CottonGossypium hirsutumA full annual crop cycle, typically 150 to 180 days (roughly five to six months) from planting to most bolls opening, though real published ranges run from about 120 days in early-maturing systems to over 200 days in others, depending on variety and climate. · A long, genuinely frost-free warm season, real consistent water through squaring and boll fill (roughly 700 to 1,300 millimetres over the season), and a clear, early decision on species and quality tier — ordinary upland G. hirsutum or premium extra-long-staple G. barbadense.
CowpeaVigna unguiculataEarly varieties can give pods in as few as 50 days and dry seed around 90 days. · Warm weather and well-drained soil more than fertile soil.
CucumberCucumis sativusAbout 50 to 70 days from planting to first ripe fruit depending on the real variety, genuinely faster than several other cucurbits in this library. · Warm soil of at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 degrees Celsius) at planting, real, reliable pollination unless a genuine parthenocarpic variety is grown, and, where you can provide one, a trellis to keep fruit clean and straight.
CuminCuminum cyminumAbout one hundred to one hundred and twenty days from sowing to a threshed crop. · A cool, dry, sunny winter.
Curry leafMurraya koenigiiAbout a year from a sucker, or two to three years from seed. · Warmth, sun and drainage.
Custard appleAnnona squamosaAbout three to four years from a grafted plant, four to five from seed. · Hand pollination, and somebody to pick it at exactly the right day.
Damask roseRosa × damascenaA light crop in the second year, full cropping from about the third or fourth. · A cold winter, a dry flowering season, and people who will pick before sunrise.
Date palmPhoenix dactyliferaRoughly four to eight years from a planted offshoot to first real fruit, and seven to ten years to a genuinely commercial-scale harvest. · Long, genuinely hot, dry summers to ripen and sweeten its fruit, real, reliable irrigation water at the roots all year round, and, distinctively for this crop, a real male pollen source and deliberate hand pollination every single season.
DillAnethum graveolensAbout six to eight weeks for the first leaf, and about three to four months for ripe seed. · Full sun, and to be sown where it will grow rather than moved.
Dragon fruitSelenicereus undatusFirst fruit about one to two years after planting cuttings, with full cropping from about year three or four. · Strong posts, free-draining ground, hard pruning, and pollination at night for most varieties.
DurianDurio zibethinusAbout four to six years from a grafted tree, and eight to fifteen from seed. · Rain through the year, deep drainage, and bats at night.
EggplantSolanum melongenaRoughly two to three months from moving seedlings into the field to the first fruit, and then picking every few days for three or four months. · Warmth, sun and steady water, and ground that has not carried a nightshade crop recently.
Elephant foot yamAmorphophallus paeoniifoliusAbout eight to nine months, from planting to the leaf dying down. · Deep, rich, well-drained soil and plenty of manure.
EnsetEnsete ventricosumFour to eight years or more from a transplanted sucker to a plant worth harvesting. · Cool highland conditions, deep soil and a great deal of manure.
Faba beanVicia fabaA real, published worldwide compilation of planting records puts full maturity at 90 to 220 days after sowing, depending on variety and climate, genuinely one of the widest maturity ranges of any legume in this library. · A genuinely cool growing season rather than heat, moderate rainfall through flowering and pod fill, and honest awareness of the crop's own real favism risk before it is eaten.
FeijoaAcca sellowianaAbout three to five years from a grafted or rooted plant. · A cool winter, a second variety nearby, and somebody to walk under the trees every day at harvest.
FennelFoeniculum vulgareAbout one hundred and forty to one hundred and seventy days for a seed crop, and about ninety for a bulb crop. · A long cool season, steady moisture, and shade at the drying stage.
FenugreekTrigonella foenum-graecumGreen leaves from about twenty-five to thirty-five days, and dry seed at about one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty days. · Cool weather, well-drained ground, and moisture in the first month while it is establishing.
Field peaPisum sativumRoughly 85 to 100 days from sowing to full maturity for most field pea varieties, a genuine single-season annual crop rather than the multi-year commitment several other crops in this library ask for. · Cool growing-season temperatures rather than heat, well-drained soil free of a recent field pea or lentil history, and, distinctively for this crop, a genuine Rhizobium inoculant on the seed if the field has not grown a pea-family crop in several years.
FigFicus caricaRoughly two to three years from a rooted cutting to the first real fruit, and then thirty years or more from the same tree. · Sun, free drainage and a dry spell while the fruit ripens.
Finger milletEleusine coracanaAbout three to five months from sowing, depending on the variety and the altitude. · A fine seedbed and early weeding, because the seed is tiny and the seedlings look like a weed.
FonioDigitaria exilisSeventy to ninety days for the quickest kinds and up to about one hundred and fifty for the later ones, which is faster to food than any other cereal here. · Warm weather and a little rain, and almost nothing else, which is the whole point of the crop.
Foxtail milletSetaria italicaAbout sixty to ninety days from sowing to harvest, which is among the quickest of any cereal. · A fine firm seedbed and warmth, and almost no water by the standards of other cereals.
GarlicAllium sativumAbout nine months. · Ground that drains.
GingerZingiber officinaleYoung ginger can be lifted within a few months and sold fresh. · Drainage.
Globe artichokeCynara cardunculusAbout a year from an offshoot to a real crop, then several years of cropping. · Deep rich soil, a mild winter, and to be cut early.
GrapeVitis viniferaFirst real but small commercial harvest: around year 3 after planting. · A real trellis structure built at planting, a winter cold period to trigger proper dormancy and bud break, and — honestly, before any of that — a clear decision about which of three genuinely different markets (table, wine or raisin) this vine is really being grown for, since that single decision decides the variety, the pruning, the irrigation strategy and the harvest method that follow.
Grapefruit and pomeloCitrus maximaThree to five years from a grafted tree to the first real crop, with full bearing at about eight to ten years and cropping for thirty or more. · Heat, steady water, well-drained soil and a rootstock chosen for your ground.
Grass peaLathyrus sativusYoung shoots as a green from about forty days, and dry seed at about one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty. · Almost nothing.
Green beanPhaseolus vulgarisA published source states plainly that the pod itself is ready 8 to 10 days after its own flower opens, while the seed inside is still small and underdeveloped — much faster than the same species left to dry for common bean. · Steady, even moisture, especially through flowering and the days right after, warm frost-free weather, and a picker who comes back every two to three days.
Green peaPisum sativumAbout sixty to ninety days to the first picking, depending on the kind and the cold. · Cool weather.
GroundnutArachis hypogaeaAbout 3 to 5 months. · Loose, sandy soil and calcium in the top hand's depth of it.
GuarCyamopsis tetragonolobaGreen pods for eating from about fifty to sixty days, and dry seed at about ninety to one hundred and twenty days. · Heat, a short monsoon, and a dry spell at the end so the pods can dry on the plant.
GuavaPsidium guajavaTwo to four years from a grafted or layered plant to the first real crop, after which it bears once or twice a year for thirty years or more. · Warmth, no frost, and a market within a few days' reach of the tree.
HazelnutCorylus avellanaRoughly four to five years from planting to a first real crop, and then thirty years or more from the same bush. · At least two different varieties that flower at the same time, because most kinds will not set nuts from their own pollen.
HopHumulus lupulusA small crop in the second year and full bearing from the third, on a planting that lasts twenty years or more. · Long summer days, a tall strong trellis, and immediate drying after picking.
Horse gramMacrotyloma uniflorumAbout three to four months from sowing. · Almost nothing.
HorseradishArmoracia rusticanaAbout seven to nine months, from a spring planting to a harvest after the first frosts. · Deep, loose, stone-free soil, and a place you are willing to give up permanently.
IsabgolPlantago ovataAbout four months from sowing to harvest. · A cool dry season and light soil that drains.
Ivy gourdCoccinia grandisAbout three to four months from planting a cutting, then picking every two or three days for years. · Cuttings taken from a female vine, and something to climb.
JackfruitArtocarpus heterophyllusTwo to four years from a grafted tree, and four to eight years from a seedling. · Heat, rain and deep well-drained soil.
JamunSyzygium cuminiAbout five to seven years from a grafted tree, or eight to ten from a seedling. · Almost nothing once it is established.
Jerusalem artichokeHelianthus tuberosusAbout five to six months, from spring planting to digging after the frosts. · A place you are content for it to stay.
JuteCorchorus olitoriusAbout one hundred and twenty days from sowing to cutting for fibre, with the leaves pickable as a vegetable from a few weeks after sowing. · Monsoon heat and rain while it grows, and clean slow-moving water to ret it in afterwards.
KaleBrassica oleracea var. acephalaAbout two to three months from sowing to the first picking, then months of picking after that. · Fertile moist soil, steady nitrogen, and protection from caterpillars.
KenafHibiscus cannabinusFibre is cut about three and a half to five months after sowing, at early flowering. · Early sowing while the days are still long, dense sowing, and clean water for retting.
KiwifruitActinidia chinensisFirst fruit in about three to four years, and a full crop from year six or seven. · Male vines among the females, a strong pergola, and a real winter.
Kodo milletPaspalum scrobiculatumAbout four to five months, depending on the variety. · Almost nothing.
KohlrabiBrassica oleracea var. gongylodesAbout six to ten weeks from transplanting, or two to three months from sowing. · Steady water and never a check in growth.
LablabLablab purpureusGreen pods from about sixty to ninety days, dry seed from about one hundred and fifty days, and grazing or cutting for fodder from about ninety. · Warmth and drainage.
LavenderLavandula angustifoliaA light crop in the second year, and full cropping from about the third. · Poor, dry, very well-drained soil and full sun.
LeekAllium ampeloprasumAbout four to six months from sowing, and then it will wait in the ground for months more. · Deep fertile soil, steady water, and darkness around the lower stem.
Lemon & limeCitrus limonPublished Indian horticultural guidance for acid lime records a grafted tree beginning to bear from its third year after planting, and staying productive for decades with good care, broadly in line with this library's orange guide's comparable timeline. · A genuine grafted tree of a known, named species and variety, real drainage, and constant vigilance for Huanglongbing and its insect carrier from the very first year of planting, on every citrus tree on your land.
LemongrassCymbopogon citratusFirst cutting about four to six months after planting, then a cutting every two to three months for several years. · Warmth, sunshine and free-draining ground, plus good planting material of the right species.
LentilLens culinarisThis guide could not independently confirm a single universal days-to-maturity figure for lentil. · A well-drained, moderately fertile soil around pH 7, a genuine Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae inoculant on land new to lentil or its close relatives, and early, careful watching for Ascochyta blight and Fusarium wilt, this crop's own two most globally significant real diseases.
LettuceLactuca sativaA published source records real harvest maturity anywhere from about 65 to 130 days depending on the real type and market — a fast baby-leaf cut at the short end, a full crisphead at the long end. · Cool temperatures between about 16 and 18 degrees Celsius (61 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit), steady, even moisture on a genuinely shallow root system, and fertile, nitrogen-rich soil at a real target pH of about 6.0 to 6.8.
Lima beanPhaseolus lunatusGreen shelled beans from about ninety days, and dry seed from about one hundred and twenty to one hundred and eighty depending on the kind. · Warmth, drainage, and something to climb if it is a climbing kind.
Linseed and flaxLinum usitatissimumAbout ninety to one hundred and ten days from sowing, with fibre flax pulled a few weeks earlier than seed flax is cut. · Cool moist growing weather, a fine firm seedbed, and ground that has not grown flax for many years.
LonganDimocarpus longanAbout three to five years from an air-layered tree, and far longer from seed. · A cool dry spell each year, or it will not flower.
LoquatEriobotrya japonicaAbout three to four years from a grafted tree, and eight to ten from a seedling. · A winter mild enough not to kill the flowers.
LotusNelumbo nuciferaRhizomes about six to nine months after planting, and seed heads from about four months. · Deep soft mud, warm water at a depth you control, and a lot of sun.
LupinLupinus albusAbout one hundred and twenty to one hundred and sixty days from sowing to a dry seed harvest, depending on the kind and the season. · Acid to neutral sandy soil, a cool growing season, and certified seed free of the disease that is carried inside it.
LycheeLitchi chinensisThree to five years from an air-layered plant, and eight years or more from a seedling. · A cool dry spell each year to trigger flowering, and very steady soil moisture while the fruit swells.
MacadamiaMacadamia integrifoliaA first small crop about four to five years after planting a grafted tree, and full bearing at about ten to twelve. · Deep well-drained soil, steady rain, and to be left unploughed under the canopy.
MaizeZea maysAbout 3 to 5 months for dry grain. · Rain at the right time, and food in the soil.
Mandarin & tangerineCitrus reticulataPublished Indian horticultural guidance records a budded tree beginning to fruit 3 to 5 years after planting, against 5 to 7 years for a seedling tree, reaching full published yield once mature and staying productive for decades with good care. · A genuine, deliberately chosen rootstock and named variety matched to your own real climate and frost risk, real drainage, and constant vigilance for Huanglongbing and its insect carrier from the very first year of planting.
MangoMangifera indicaA grafted sapling commonly begins bearing within 3 to 5 years, reaching a real, full commercial yield by around 8 to 10 years, and can then keep bearing for 40 years or more. · A genuine dry season around flowering time, real drainage year-round, and, distinctively for this crop, a grafted sapling of a known, named variety rather than seed of unknown parentage.
MangosteenGarcinia mangostanaAbout eight to twelve years from seed. · Constant humidity and rain through the year.
MarigoldTagetes erectaAbout two to two and a half months from sowing to the first flowers, then picking for two to three months. · Full sun, drainage, and to be flowering on the right week.
Melon (cantaloupe)Cucumis meloAbout 30 to 35 real days from pollination to harvest for cantaloupe once fruit set begins, on top of the weeks a vine needs to establish and flower — a transplant can reach harvest as much as two weeks earlier than a directly seeded planting. · Genuinely warm soil at planting, real, reliable insect pollination for every single fruit, and a deliberate, honest choice of named type — true cantaloupe, muskmelon, honeydew or a regional Asian variety — made before a single seed is bought.
MilletCenchrus americanusGenuinely fast for a real staple cereal: pearl millet commonly reaches harvest in 3 to 4 months, and finger millet in roughly 3 to 6 months depending on variety and local conditions. · Warmth, and honestly very little else compared with almost any other cereal in this library.
MintMentha arvensisAbout three to four months to the first cut, then another two to three months to the second. · Water, nitrogen, and clean weed-free ground while it is young.
MoringaMoringa oleiferaLeaves within about two to three months, and the first pods at about eight to twelve months. · Warmth, sun and drainage.
MulberryMorus albaLeaf can be cut from about six months after planting a cutting. · Hard regular pruning, steady feeding, and absolutely no pesticide drift if silkworms will eat the leaf.
Mung beanVigna radiataAbout sixty to ninety days from sowing to the first picking, which is short enough to fit between two main crops. · Warm weather, ground that drains, and a dry spell at the end so the pods can ripen without sprouting.
MustardBrassica junceaRoughly 110 to 140 days from sowing to a seed harvest, depending on the type and how cold the winter is. · A cool dry growing season and enough moisture at flowering.
Niger seedGuizotia abyssinicaAbout three and a half to five months from sowing to harvest. · Insects to pollinate it, and to be cut before the seed shatters onto the ground.
NutmegMyristica fragransSix to eight years to the first crop from a grafted tree or seedling, and fifteen to twenty years to full bearing, after which it yields for decades. · Heat, heavy rainfall, deep well-drained soil, shade when young and shelter from wind.
OatAvena sativaSpring oat: roughly 90 to 120 days from sowing to harvest. · A genuinely cool, wet growing season — oat needs more rain and less summer heat than wheat, barley or rye — well-drained, not-too-acid-or-alkaline soil (though oat tolerates real acid soil down to about pH 4.5 better than most other cereals), and a staged nitrogen programme timed to build the crop's own canopy without pushing it toward lodging.
Oil palmElaeis guineensisRoughly three to four years from germinated seed to first harvest: two to three months in a pre-nursery, six to twelve months in a main nursery, then around two and a half years in the field before the first fresh fruit bunch is cut. · Consistent equatorial warmth with no frost or cold snap, ever, abundant well-distributed rainfall of 1,800 millimetres a year or more, and, distinctively for this crop, genuine tenera planting material from a known dura times pisifera cross rather than uncertified seed of unknown parentage.
OkraAbelmoschus esculentusFirst pods are ready roughly 45 to 60 days after sowing, and the plant then keeps producing for two to three months or more if it is picked regularly and kept watered. · Heat and regular picking.
OliveOlea europaeaA tree grown from a real, rooted cutting or a graft bears its first real fruit within a genuinely multi-year wait, and can then go on bearing for centuries — no single, precise, universally-cited number of years to first bearing could be independently confirmed, and this guide states that honestly rather than inventing one. · A real, rooted cutting or grafted sapling of a known variety, a second, genuinely compatible variety planted nearby for good fruit set, real drainage, and constant vigilance for Xylella fastidiosa and its spittlebug carrier from the very first year of planting.
Onion & shallotAllium cepaAbout 94 to 110 days from transplanting for an intermediate-day variety, and about 105 to 125 days for a long-day variety, with a set-grown onion typically ready faster than one grown from true seed. · The right day-length type for your own real latitude, well-drained soil, and an honest early decision about which real market — storage bulb, sweet bulb, shallot or processing — this planting is actually for.
OrangeCitrus sinensisA budded tree commonly begins bearing within 3 to 4 years, against 6 to 7 years for an own-rooted seedling tree, reaching real economic bearing by around year 5 and staying productive for 20 years or more with good care. · A genuine, deliberately chosen disease- and soil-adapted rootstock, real drainage, and constant vigilance for Huanglongbing and its insect carrier from the very first year of planting.
PalmarosaCymbopogon martiniAbout four to five months to the first cut. · Full sun, a monsoon, and the patience to cut it in full flower.
PandanusPandanus tectoriusAbout four to six years from a planted cutting to the first fruit, after which a female tree fruits every year for many decades. · Almost nothing.
PapayaCarica papayaAbout eight to twelve months from sowing seed to the first ripe fruit in warm lowland conditions, and longer where nights are cool. · Ground that never stands in water, and enough plants at flowering to be sure of a female or bisexual one in every position.
Passion fruitPassiflora edulisFirst fruit about eight to twelve months after planting, and full production in the second year. · A trellis, steady water, and large bees.
Peach & nectarinePrunus persicaRoughly three years from planting a grafted young tree to a real crop, and then fifteen to twenty years from the same tree, which is shorter-lived than most fruit trees. · A genuinely cold winter, hard annual pruning, and heavy thinning of the young fruit.
PearPyrus communisFour to eight years from a grafted tree depending on the root it is grown on, and longer still from a seedling. · A cold winter, a second kind of pear nearby to pollinate it, and a grower who picks before the fruit is ripe.
PecanCarya illinoinensisFirst nuts about six to seven years from a grafted tree, full production around twenty. · Deep soil, a lot of water, and two varieties whose flowering overlaps.
PersimmonDiospyros kakiA first small crop about three to four years after planting a grafted tree, and full bearing at about seven or eight. · A proper winter rest, deep well-drained soil, and the right variety for your market.
Pigeon peaCajanus cajanRoughly four months to first dry seed from a short-season kind, and eight to eleven months from the traditional long-season kinds grown as a bush. · Deep soil that drains, and the right sowing date, because this plant decides when to flower by the length of the day rather than by how long it has been growing.
PineappleAnanas comosusAbout 15 to 24 months from planting to your first real harvest, depending on whether you started from a crown, a slip or a sucker, and on whether flowering was deliberately forced. · Real, reliable drainage above almost everything else.
PistachioPistacia veraRoughly five to seven years to a first crop and ten to twelve to full bearing, and then a hundred years or more from the same tree. · Male trees among the females, hot dry summers, and a genuinely cold winter.
PlantainMusa × paradisiacaAbout nine to fourteen months from planting a sucker to the first bunch, and then a bunch from the same mat every eight to twelve months. · Deep moist soil, steady rain or water all year, and clean planting material.
PlumPrunus domesticaRoughly three to five years from planting a grafted young tree to a real crop, and then thirty years or more from the same tree. · A genuinely cold winter, a site that escapes late frost, and another plum flowering nearby unless yours is one of the few that sets fruit alone.
PomegranatePunica granatumTwo to three years from a rooted cutting to the first fruit and about five years to full cropping, after which it bears for decades. · Heat, sun and above all steady water once the fruit has set.
PotatoSolanum tuberosumAbout 90 to 120 days for most kinds. · Cool weather and healthy seed tubers.
Prickly pearOpuntia ficus-indicaAbout two to three years to the first fruit, four to five to a full crop, then decades. · Sun, drainage, and to be left alone.
Proso milletPanicum miliaceumAbout sixty to ninety days. · Warm soil and a short run of luck.
Pumpkin / squashCucurbita pepoAbout 90 to 120 days from direct-seeding to harvest for most ordinary pumpkin and squash varieties, though large winter-storage types and competitive giant pumpkins can need 130 to 140 days or more. · Warm soil of at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 degrees Celsius) at planting, real room to sprawl unless a bush variety is chosen, and reliable insect pollination, since every single fruit needs its own separate successful pollination visit.
QuinceCydonia oblongaAbout three to five years from a young grafted or rooted tree. · A cold winter and a warm enough autumn to ripen the fruit.
QuinoaChenopodium quinoaAbout ninety to one hundred and eighty days from sowing depending on the kind and the altitude, with the short kinds ready in about three months. · Cool weather, ground that drains, and a way to wash the seed afterwards.
RadishRaphanus sativusThree to five weeks for salad radish, and two to three months for daikon and winter types. · To grow fast without a check, in cool weather, in loose stone-free soil.
RambutanNephelium lappaceumAbout three to five years from a grafted tree, and five to eight from a seedling if it is female at all. · Heat, humidity and rain spread through the year.
RapeseedBrassica napusSpring-sown types take roughly 100 to 130 days from sowing to harvest. · A fine, firm, well-drained seedbed and moisture at establishment.
RhubarbRheum rhabarbarumNothing in the first year, a light pull in the second, full cropping from the third. · A cold winter, rich soil, and to be left alone in its first year.
RiceOryza sativaAbout 3 to 6 months, depending on the kind of rice you plant. · Water.
Ridge gourdLuffa acutangulaAbout two months from sowing to the first fruit, then picking every two or three days. · Warmth, something to climb, and steady moisture.
RoselleHibiscus sabdariffaAbout four to six months from sowing to the first calyx picking. · Early sowing, plenty of space, and shade drying to keep the colour red.
RubberHevea brasiliensisCommonly five to seven years for a modern, high-yielding clonal planting to reach tappable girth under good management, though a published general source states seven to ten years for the crop broadly — this guide states both figures honestly rather than hiding the real range. · Consistent tropical warmth with no frost, ever, real minimum rainfall of approximately 1,200 millimetres a year, and, distinctively for this crop, genuine grafted clonal planting material from a registered source rather than ungrafted seedling trees of unknown yield.
RyeSecale cerealeWinter rye: about 8 to 9 months counting the cold season it spends dormant. · Poor, sandy, acidic or thin soil where other cereals struggle, a real cold season if it is the winter type, and grain sorted carefully at harvest since ergot cannot be cooked away.
SafflowerCarthamus tinctoriusAbout one hundred and twenty to two hundred days from sowing, most of it spent as a low flat rosette before the plant shoots up. · Deep soil with stored moisture, and dry air from flowering to harvest.
SaffronCrocus sativusFlowers in the first autumn after summer planting, with a proper crop from the second year. · Well-drained ground, a dry summer rest, and enough hands at dawn for three weeks in autumn.
SapotaManilkara zapotaAbout three to four years from planting a grafted tree, and much longer from seed. · Grafted planting material, good drainage, and a grower who knows the latex test.
Sea buckthornHippophae rhamnoidesAbout three to four years to the first real crop. · Full sun, sharp drainage, and the right number of male bushes.
SesameSesamum indicumA full annual crop cycle, commonly 90 to 120 frost-free days (roughly three to four months), though published US research states a wider real range of 90 to 150 days across early, medium and late varieties. · Genuine warmth above about 23 degrees Celsius, real moisture at sowing and again around flowering, and land that never floods, since this crop's own real drought tolerance does not extend to standing water.
SheaVitellaria paradoxaFifteen to twenty-five years from a seed, and about seven or eight from a grafted tree. · To be left standing.
SisalAgave sisalanaTwo to four years to the first leaf cutting, then a cutting every six to twelve months for seven to twelve years. · Heat, no frost, ground that drains, and a way to extract the fibre within a day of cutting.
Snake gourdTrichosanthes cucumerinaAbout two months from sowing to the first fruit, then picking every two or three days. · A strong overhead frame to hang from.
SorghumSorghum bicolorAbout 3 to 5 months, depending on the kind. · Warmth.
SoursopAnnona muricataAbout three to five years from a grafted plant or a seedling. · Warm wet lowland climate, hand pollination, and somewhere to send the pulp.
SoybeanGlycine maxA full annual crop, typically 90 to 150 days from planting to harvest depending on the maturity group chosen — shorter-season Group 000-II varieties commonly mature in 90 to 120 days, while longer-season tropical Group VII-X varieties can take up to 150 days or more. · A correctly matched maturity group for your own real latitude, real Bradyrhizobium japonicum inoculation at planting if the land has no recent soybean history, and reliable soil moisture through the flowering and pod-fill window, which is when a shortage costs the most yield of the whole season.
SpinachSpinacia oleraceaRoughly four to seven weeks from sowing to the first picking, depending on how warm it is and how large you want the leaves. · Cool weather, steady water and plenty of nitrogen, all at the same time.
Spring onionAllium fistulosumAbout sixty to eighty days from sowing to the first cutting, and only two or three weeks if you plant a division off an established clump. · Steady moisture, loose soil and a buyer, because the crop is sold fresh and does not wait.
Star aniseIllicium verumAbout six years to the first fruit, and about fifteen to full bearing. · A warm, wet, frost-free climate and a very long time.
SteviaStevia rebaudianaAbout three to four months to the first cutting, then a cut every two to three months for several years. · Warmth, steady water and a buyer you have found in advance.
StrawberryFragaria × ananassaAbout sixty to ninety days from planting a runner to the first fruit, and then picking every two or three days for several weeks. · Cool nights, steady water at the roots, and planting material that is free of virus and fungus.
Sugar beetBeta vulgarisRoughly 100 to 200 days from sowing to harvest depending heavily on local climate and variety, a genuine single-season annual harvest even though the plant itself is naturally a two-year biennial. · A genuinely cool temperate climate rather than heat, deep well-drained soil free of a hard compacted layer, and real, certified monogerm hybrid seed bought fresh each season rather than saved from a previous harvest.
SugarcaneSaccharum officinarumA first crop: about 10 to 12 months in a tropical climate, or 12 to 18 months in a subtropical one. · Full sun, warm temperatures all season, a genuinely large and reliable water supply, and a fertility programme built around potassium as much as nitrogen — sugarcane is one of the most potassium-hungry crops in this library.
SunflowerHelianthus annuusA full annual crop cycle, typically 80 to 130 days (roughly three to four and a half months) from emergence to physiological maturity, depending heavily on variety and climate. · A genuinely frost-free window through establishment and flowering, real moderate water of roughly 500 to 670 millimetres over the season, and a clear, early decision on which real market this planting is for — oilseed or confectionery, and if oilseed, which oil type.
Sweet potatoIpomoea batatasEarly kinds are ready in about 3 months. · Warmth, a loose bed of soil, and a healthy piece of vine to start from.
TamarindTamarindus indicaThree to four years from a grafted tree, and eight to twelve years from a seedling. · Sun, space and time.
TaroColocasia esculentaAbout 6 to 12 months from planting where taro is grown on rainfed upland, dryland ground, or about 12 to 15 months where it is grown flooded in a wetland field. · Consistent tropical warmth, deep moisture-retentive soil, and real annual rainfall well over 2,500 millimetres where the field is not deliberately flooded by hand.
TeaCamellia sinensisRoughly three to five years from planting before a field is picked properly, and then fifty years or more of picking from the same bushes. · Acid soil that drains well, reliable rain or irrigation, and a picking round kept to time.
TeffEragrostis tefAbout ninety to one hundred and thirty days from sowing to harvest, depending on the kind and the altitude. · A finely worked, firm seedbed, because the seed is about a millimetre across and cannot push up through clods.
TobaccoNicotiana tabacumThis guide could not independently confirm one single universal days-to-harvest figure for tobacco, since it genuinely varies by market type and curing method. · Genuinely warm, humid conditions of 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, careful nursery care for a real, tiny, light-loving seed, and honestly leaner soil than most crops in this library want, since too much nitrogen genuinely lowers this crop's own cured leaf quality.
TomatoSolanum lycopersicumAbout 3 to 4 months in total counting the nursery stage: roughly 6 to 8 weeks (42 to 56 days) raising transplants in a protected nursery, then a further 60 to 100 days or so in the field from transplanting to first harvest, depending on variety and climate. · Warm days between about 60 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, a genuinely early decision about determinate versus indeterminate and fresh-market versus processing, and — for any indeterminate, fresh-market planting — real, sturdy support to keep fruit up off the ground.
Triticale× TriticosecaleSpring triticale: roughly 90 to 120 days. · A cool growing season, land where wheat itself would struggle (marginal, acid, sandy or dry soil), and grain sorted carefully at harvest since this crop's own real safety risk, ergot, cannot be cooked away.
TurmericCurcuma longaAbout six and a half months in the ground, then curing. · Drainage across a long season.
TurnipBrassica rapaAs little as 55 to 60 days from direct seeding to a harvestable root, genuinely faster than several other root crops in this library, with no nursery stage at all. · Cool weather through root development, a genuinely early decision about whether this planting is for the root, the greens, or both, and land with no recent history of clubroot or other brassica cropping.
VanillaVanilla planifoliaRoughly three to four years from a cutting to the first flowers, then eight to nine months from pollinating a flower to picking that pod. · Somebody available every morning through the whole flowering season to pollinate by hand.
VetchVicia sativaAbout sixty to ninety days from sowing to a cut of green fodder, and about one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty days to a seed harvest. · A cool growing season, ground that drains, and a cereal to climb.
VetiverChrysopogon zizanioidesAbout 12 to 24 months before the roots are worth digging. · Almost nothing.
WalnutJuglans regiaFour to six years from planting a grafted tree, and eight to twelve years from a nut, with full yield only after fifteen years or so. · Deep soil that drains, a cold winter, and room, because the roots go far down and the crown spreads wide.
Water chestnutEleocharis dulcisAbout seven to eight months from planting to harvest. · Standing water all season, a long frost-free growing period, and a great deal of digging at the end.
Water spinachIpomoea aquaticaFirst cutting about twenty-one to thirty days after planting, then every seven to fourteen days for months. · Warmth, plenty of water, and clean water in particular.
WatermelonCitrullus lanatusAbout 68 to 92 days from planting to first ripe fruit for most commercial varieties, with a separate real range of 85 to 90 days from transplant recorded for some regions — your own real local variety and season decide which end you land on. · Warm soil of at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 degrees Celsius) at planting, real room to sprawl, and reliable insect pollination, since every single fruit needs roughly a thousand grains of pollen spread evenly across its own flower.
WheatTriticum aestivumAbout 4 to 6 months, depending on the kind and how cold your winter is. · Cool weather while it grows, and dry weather while it ripens.
Winged beanPsophocarpus tetragonolobusYoung pods from about two to three months after sowing, dry seed from about five, and tubers later still. · Warmth, rain, a strong tall support, and short enough days to flower.
YamDioscorea cayenensisAbout 7 to 12 months from planting to harvest, varying by real species, variety and your own local climate. · A genuinely humid tropical climate, deep loose soil for its own single deep-growing tuber, healthy seed yams saved from a clean harvest, and a tall stake for every single plant.
YautiaXanthosoma sagittifoliumAbout nine to twelve months from planting to harvest, with the crop then keeping in the ground for some weeks longer. · Warm weather, deep soil that drains, and shade or partial shade, which makes it a good crop for under other trees.
Yerba mateIlex paraguariensisA first light harvest about four years after planting, and full yield from about eight to ten years. · Acid, well-drained soil, reliable rainfall, and a processing plant that can take the cut branches the same day.
Also on Laisha:every tool, explained — weather with soil moisture at five depths, photo-based crop health, market prices, storage science, farm calculators and a shop ledger, each with what it will and will not do.
Go further with Laisha Smarter
US$10 a month · one price worldwide · cancel any time
Your own crop calendar for this crop, stage by stage
Pest and disease alerts with IRAC/FRAC-group spray plans
Ask Laisha about your field — up to 1,000 questions a month