Seasons: Summer

A thick-leaved climbing spinach that thrives in the worst of the monsoon heat.

One plant on a sill supplies a household, and crops for two years.

Summer staple for a sunny terrace; pick every second day or pods turn woody.

A monsoon climber that will roof a terrace in eight weeks given a frame.

A tough climber that fruits through the worst humidity of the year.

A thorny desert shrub whose resin has been traded for millennia; now endangered.

Near-indestructible succulent for a bright sill; water only when the soil is dry through.

A dry-country shrub with yellow flowers, tough enough for a Rajasthan roof.

A clump of scented grass that mosquitoes avoid and tea drinkers cannot do without.

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