Plant library
Explore Plants
Filter by what you want to grow, the space you have and the season you are in.
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Water Spinachकलमी सागIpomoea aquaticaGrows on water or wet mud and crops every fortnight through the monsoon.
Indian Water FernअजोलाAzolla pinnataA floating fern that fixes nitrogen — fertiliser and fodder that grows itself.Sugarcaneगन्नाSaccharum officinarumA few canes in a corner give juice, gur and a green screen by October.
PapayaपपीताCarica papayaFruit inside a year from seed — the fastest fruit a household can grow.
LotusकमलNelumbo nuciferaThe national flower — a big tub, full sun and patience is all it takes.SunflowerसूरजमुखीHelianthus annuusA fortnight of spectacle and then a head of seed the birds will take.DrumstickसहजनMoringa oleiferaThe fastest useful tree there is — 3 m in a year, edible leaves and pods.Pumpkinकद्दूCucurbita moschataSprawls generously and stores well; the leaves and flowers are food too.CucumberखीराCucumis sativusFast, thirsty and best trained up a net where air can move around it.Cluster Beansग्वार फलीCyamopsis tetragonolobaDrought-hardy bean of the west — fixes nitrogen and crops where little else will.CowpeaलोबियाVigna unguiculataPods, beans and green manure from one undemanding monsoon plant.Green GramमूंगVigna radiataSixty days from sowing to dal, and sproutable on a kitchen shelf.SesameतिलSesamum indicumUpright, bell-flowered and ancient; the oilseed of the dry season.AmaranthचौलाईAmaranthus tricolorThe monsoon green that grows itself — heat-proof, rain-proof, ready in a month.Poi Saagपोई सागBasella albaA thick-leaved climbing spinach that thrives in the worst of the monsoon heat.Green Chilliहरी मिर्चCapsicum annuumOne plant on a sill supplies a household, and crops for two years.Not sure where to start?
Answer three questions on the home page — your region, your space and your goal — and we will name two plants to sow this month.
How the library is organised
By regionEach entry notes where the plant grows well across India, from the Gangetic plain to coastal soils.
By seasonSowing windows for every month, so you never plant a winter green in May.
By spaceWindowsill, balcony, terrace or ground — filtered so you only see what will survive with you.
Checked by a botanistNames and facts are reviewed before publication; traditional uses are labelled as traditional.