Plant library
What can I grow now?
25 plants can be sown in August in Central India. Narrow it further by space, goal or region — or step through the months below.
A short sharp monsoon on black cotton soil, then a dry winter. Water-holding soil, water-scarce year.
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Ajwain Leafअजवाइन पत्ताPlectranthus amboinicusThick scented leaves on a succulent stem; one plant fills a windowsill pot for years.
AmaranthचौलाईAmaranthus tricolorThe monsoon green that grows itself — heat-proof, rain-proof, ready in a month.
AmlaआमलाPhyllanthus emblicaFeathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household through winter.BaelबेलAegle marmelosA slow, tough native tree for a hot courtyard, with fruit that makes the summer sherbet.Bhumi Amlaभूमि आमलाPhyllanthus niruriA tiny monsoon herb that appears in every wet pot, with fruit strung under the leaf.
Curry Leafकढ़ी पत्ताMurraya koenigiiA small tree that lives happily in a deep pot and gives leaves all year.Field BeanसेमLablab purpureusThe winter sem of the plains, purple-flowered and heavy-cropping on a fence.
GiloyगिलोयTinospora cordifoliaA climbing vine of the monsoon, long used in home remedies and generous with shade.GuavaअमरूदPsidium guajavaThe most forgiving fruit tree for a small Indian garden or a big pot.Harsingar ShrubसेवंतीChrysanthemum indicumThe garden chrysanthemum of the north-Indian winter, sold by the crate at Diwali.Horse GramकुलथीMacrotyloma uniflorumThe hardiest pulse of the dry deccan, grown where rain is unreliable.Indian GooseberryआमलाPhyllanthus emblicaFeathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household in winter.
Krishna Tulsiकृष्ण तुलसीOcimum tenuiflorum (purple)The dark-leaved tulsi, sharper in scent and a little slower to grow than the green.LimeनींबूCitrus aurantiifoliaKagzi lime — the single most useful pot tree for an Indian household.MakoyमकोयSolanum nigrumThe black nightshade of monsoon fields — a leafy green in the east, a weed elsewhere.
MarigoldगेंदाTagetes erectaCompanion-planting workhorse: keeps nematodes down and feeds bees all season.