What to Plant in Jestha in Nepal: A Complete Guide

Jestha's Growing Conditions

In Jestha (mid-May to mid-June), heat and humidity both build steadily, and the first pre-monsoon showers usually arrive late in the month. It's the main preparation month for the monsoon rice season ahead.

What to Plant in Jestha

• Rice nursery beds: Prepare now for transplanting in Ashar
• Ginger and turmeric: Your last chance if you missed Baisakh — don't push it past the start of this month
• Vine vegetables: Another succession of bottle gourd and cucumber can go in

What to Harvest in Jestha

• Okra is ready to harvest
• Early bottle gourd and cucumber

Elevation Adjustments

• Terai: Rice nursery beds may already be underway; pre-monsoon showers tend to arrive earlier than in the hills
• Mid-hills: Both ginger/turmeric planting and rice nursery preparation need to happen this month
• High hills and mountains: Rice planting starts later here or not at all — focus shifts more toward maize and potato

This Month's Most Common Mistake

Ginger and turmeric have a narrow planting window, but many farmers wait until the end of Jestha to get them in. Once the monsoon fully sets in, soil becomes waterlogged, and newly planted rhizomes struggle to sprout and are much more likely to rot. Getting them planted by the start of Jestha is the safer bet.

Next Steps

For rice transplanting and fertilizer timing, see our monsoon rice planting guide. Look back at what to plant in Baisakh, or ahead to what to plant in Ashar.