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Bring nature home.

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

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

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

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