Plant library
What can I grow now?
29 plants can be sown in May in East India. Narrow it further by space, goal or region — or step through the months below.
Humid through the year with an early monsoon; fungal problems beat drought here.
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Areca NutसुपारीAreca catechuSlim palm of the wet south-west and north-east, grown in dense stands.Areca PalmसुपारीAreca catechuThe slender betel-nut palm of the wet coasts, grown in dense shaded gardens.Assam Lemonकागजी नेमुCitrus limon var.The thin-skinned Assam lemon, fragrant enough to scent a whole kitchen.
BalsamगुलमेहंदीImpatiens balsaminaA monsoon annual of verandah pots, with seed pods children cannot leave alone.
Betel LeafपानPiper betleThe paan vine — grown in shaded enclosures across Bengal and the east.Champaचम्पाPlumeria rubraGrows from a bare cutting pushed into dry soil; scents a whole terrace.CoconutनारियलCocos nuciferaThe tree the coasts are built on — water, kernel, oil, thatch and shade.ColocasiaअरबीColocasia esculentaBig-leaved and happy in a wet corner; corms below, edible leaves above.DendrobiumसंचारीDendrobium nobileCane orchid of the eastern hills, flowering along last year’s bare canes.Elephant Foot YamजिमीकंदAmorphophallus paeoniifoliusOne corm fills a large pot and returns a much bigger one in a year.Foxtail Orchidद्रौपदी मालाRhynchostylis retusaThe kopou phul of Assam — hanging foxtail sprays, and the flower of Bihu.Giant Taroमान कचुAlocasia macrorrhizosEnormous upright leaves for a wet shaded corner — architecture rather than a crop.GingerअदरकZingiber officinaleThe same trick as turmeric, in slightly more shade and slightly less time.
Job’s TearsगुरलुCoix lacryma-jobiHard glossy grain used as food, as beads and as a brewing grain in the hills.JuteपटसनCorchorus olitoriusBengal’s fibre crop, and its young leaves are a monsoon green.Kenafमेस्ताHibiscus cannabinusA fibre hibiscus of eastern India, quick and very tall.