Goals: Grow food

Pods, beans and green manure from one undemanding monsoon plant.

Bush beans for winter troughs; pole kinds for a balcony net.

The winter sem of the plains, purple-flowered and heavy-cropping on a fence.

A four-angled pod from the north-east and the coasts — every part is edible.

A shrubby pulse that stands two years, fixes nitrogen and shelters small birds.

One plant on a sill supplies a household, and crops for two years.

A long-season crop that rewards a big pot and steady feeding.

Summer staple for a sunny terrace; pick every second day or pods turn woody.

A monsoon climber that will roof a terrace in eight weeks given a frame.

Ridged monsoon gourd, quick to climb and quicker to over-mature.