Goals: Grow food

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.

Feathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household through winter.

The black nightshade of monsoon fields — a leafy green in the east, a weed elsewhere.

A slight winter annual of dry western fields, grown for the husk of its seed.

Fine blue-white flowers over ferny leaves, then the black seed of the spice box.

Feathery winter foliage, then umbels that hoverflies and small wasps work all day.

Bolts in heat, thrives in the cool months. Sow every fortnight for a steady supply.

A winter annual of the north-west, grown for the thyme-scented seed.

Plant a knob of market haldi in June; harvest your own in February.