Regions: North India

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.

A marginal water plant for a tub, aromatic-rooted and steady for years.

Drought-tolerant root herb for a hot sunny corner; needs almost nothing once established.

A climbing vine of the monsoon, long used in home remedies and generous with shade.

A creeping marsh herb happy in a wide bowl of wet soil — the one plant you cannot overwater.