The Punjab Agriculture Department has issued recommendations for the cultivation of summer vegetables, advising farmers to begin sowing from February to March.

According to a department spokesperson, vegetables including bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, ridge gourd, okra, eggplant, tomato, green chilli and cucumber should be sown during this period.

Optimal growth requires temperatures between 20°C and 35°C. The department said well-drained loamy soil rich in organic matter is ideal for summer vegetables.

Application of well-decomposed farmyard manure a few days before sowing can improve soil fertility.

Farmers were advised to use certified seed with a germination rate of at least 80 per cent and to select varieties recommended by local agriculture experts that are resistant to pests and diseases.

Instead of raising nurseries directly in the field, the department recommended using plastic germination trays with suitable media such as peat moss.

Tomato and chilli crops should be cultivated through nurseries, and seedlings aged 30 to 35 days should be transplanted on ridges at the recommended spacing. Bitter gourd, bottle gourd, sponge gourd, melon and cucumber should be planted on one side of the ridges, while okra and ridge gourd should be planted on both sides.