Sowing months
Jun–Jul
Sunlight
Six hours of sun
Water
Standing water 5 cm deep
Mature size
60–120 cm
First harvest
Grain at 4 months
Family
Poaceae
Where it grows
Garden / ground, Terrace / rooftop
Good for
Grow food
Sow in
Monsoon
Care
One bucket, 5 cm of standing water, six plants — a full cycle in four months.
Half the country’s calories — and a bucket of it on a terrace teaches more than any book.
Growing it
One bucket, 5 cm of standing water, six plants — a full cycle in four months.
What it is for
Grain; the best school demonstration crop in India.