Grow a little.
Learn a lot.
Bring nature home.

Field Bean सेम The winter sem of the plains, purple-flowered and heavy-cropping on a fence. Sow Aug–Oct Indian Aloe घृतकुमारी Near-indestructible succulent for a bright sill; water only when the soil is dry through. Sow Feb–Apr, Sep–Oct Marigold गेंदा Companion-planting workhorse: keeps nematodes down and feeds bees all season. Sow Jun–Oct Mint पुदीना Grows from a cutting in a glass of water. Keep it in its own… Sow Feb–Mar, Jun–Sep Palak पालक Cut-and-come-again greens ready in six weeks from a shallow trough. Sow Jan–Feb, Sep–Dec Spring Onion हरा प्याज़ Regrows from the root end of a shop-bought bunch — the cheapest crop there… Sow Feb–Mar, Sep–Nov Tulsi तुलसी The household holy basil — thrives in a pot, keeps pests down and brings… Sow Feb–Mar, Jun–Sep Vinca सदाबहार Flowers every day of the year and asks for nothing. Indigenous to the deccan. Sow Feb–Mar, Jun–Jul, Sep

Aak Bush आँकड़ा A leafless broom-like desert shrub that fixes sand and feeds camels. Sow Apr, Jun–Jul Ajwain Leaf अजवाइन पत्ता Thick scented leaves on a succulent stem; one plant fills a windowsill pot for… Sow Feb–Mar, Jun–Aug Alder उतीस A nitrogen-fixing pioneer of Himalayan landslides and north-eastern jhum fallows. Sow Jun–Jul Amaltas अमलतास Yellow chandeliers in May, when the city most needs something to look at. Sow Jun–Jul Amaranth चौलाई The monsoon green that grows itself — heat-proof, rain-proof, ready in a month. Sow Mar–Apr, Jun–Aug Amaranth Grain रामदाना Grown for seed rather than leaf; magenta heads over the whole monsoon. Sow Jun–Jul Amla आमला Feathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household through winter. Sow Jun–Aug Arabian Jasmine मोगरा A pot by an open window does more for a summer evening than any… Sow Feb–Mar, Jun–Jul Areca Nut सुपारी Slim palm of the wet south-west and north-east, grown in dense stands. Sow May–Jun Areca Palm सुपारी The slender betel-nut palm of the wet coasts, grown in dense shaded gardens. Sow May–Jul Arjun अर्जुन A riverbank giant with pale bark — a campus or park tree, not a… Sow Jun–Jul Arjuna अर्जुन A riverbank giant with pale bark — a tree for a campus or a… Sow Jun–Jul

Aak Bush आँकड़ा A leafless broom-like desert shrub that fixes sand and feeds camels. Sow Apr, Jun–Jul Alder उतीस A nitrogen-fixing pioneer of Himalayan landslides and north-eastern jhum fallows. Sow Jun–Jul Amaltas अमलतास Yellow chandeliers in May, when the city most needs something to look at. Sow Jun–Jul Arjun अर्जुन A riverbank giant with pale bark — a campus or park tree, not a… Sow Jun–Jul Arjuna अर्जुन A riverbank giant with pale bark — a tree for a campus or a… Sow Jun–Jul Ashoka अशोक Orange flower clusters straight off the trunk — a sacred tree, now threatened. Sow Jun–Jul Babool बबूल Thorny, nitrogen-fixing and useful on land nobody else will plant. Sow Jun–Jul Bael बेल A slow, tough native tree for a hot courtyard, with fruit that makes the… Sow Jun–Aug Baheda बहेड़ा The third triphala fruit, from a broad-crowned tree of dry deciduous forest. Sow Jun–Jul Bamboo बांस The fastest usable material on earth; one clump supplies poles for years. Sow Jun–Jul Bamboo Shoot Species बांस करील The north-eastern shoot bamboo — fermented shoots are a regional staple. Sow Jun–Jul Bans Kaban कबान बांस The dry-country bamboo of central India, solid-stemmed and drought-hardy. Sow Jun–Jul

Ajwain अजवाइन A winter annual of the north-west, grown for the thyme-scented seed. Sow Oct–Nov Ajwain Leaf अजवाइन पत्ता Thick scented leaves on a succulent stem; one plant fills a windowsill pot for… Sow Feb–Mar, Jun–Aug Amaranth चौलाई The monsoon green that grows itself — heat-proof, rain-proof, ready in a month. Sow Mar–Apr, Jun–Aug Amaranth Grain रामदाना Grown for seed rather than leaf; magenta heads over the whole monsoon. Sow Jun–Jul Amla आमला Feathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household through winter. Sow Jun–Aug Apricot खुबानी Ladakh and Himachal fruit — blossom in March, fruit in June, dried for winter. Sow Jan, Dec Areca Nut सुपारी Slim palm of the wet south-west and north-east, grown in dense stands. Sow May–Jun Areca Palm सुपारी The slender betel-nut palm of the wet coasts, grown in dense shaded gardens. Sow May–Jul Ash Gourd पेठा The big white-waxed gourd of the south, stored for months after harvest. Sow Jun–Jul Assam Lemon कागजी नेमु The thin-skinned Assam lemon, fragrant enough to scent a whole kitchen. Sow May–Jul Assam Tea चाय The tea of the Brahmaputra valley — one bush on a balcony is enough… Sow May–Jun Bamboo बांस The fastest usable material on earth; one clump supplies poles for years. Sow Jun–Jul

Seeds, Cuttings and Free Plants Save your own seed and root what the kitchen throws out Pests Without Poison Identify it first, then treat only what you found Watering Without Waste How much, how often, and how to tell Growing in Small Spaces Balconies, sills, stairwells and a 3-foot ledge Composting at Home Two buckets, no smell, soil in eight weeks How to Start a Kitchen Garden Three containers, four weeks, food on the table