“Two weeks from larder to garden to plate
Methi is a novice gardener’s mate!”
Related Topics: How to Grow, Growing Organically & The Art of Propagation!
One of the most popular leafing veggies to grow, methi will please any urban farmer – growing just as happily on a windowsill, balcony or large terrace!
SEASONS: Methi is an annual plant but is usually grown as a quick seasonal with the entire crop being uprooted and used in cooking. It is very well-suited for Mumbai’s tropical climate and can be sown and grown through the year.
PROPAGATING: Methi is very easily propagated from seed. Buy methi seeds at the grocery store or raid your kitchen shelves for some.
GERMINATING: Methi is best germinated in germination dishes/seeding baskets prepared with a mixture of compost and peat moss. Seeds can be shown in shallow, 1/4 inch deep holes in soft, acidic or neutral, moisture-rich and well-composted soil, or densely scattered on the surface with a sprinkling of soil above. Place in semi-shade and spray water evenly. Spray daily until seedlings emerge in 5-7 days.
PLANTING OUT: Methi that is grown as a micro-green, or even for its larger leaves, is best not transplanted. Once seedlings are sturdier at a couple of inches in height, move them to direct and strong sunlight and water well. This plant loves a crowd and will grow well when closely planted together. The closeness of growth gives stability to individual plants. Methi grows well anywhere – in containers and in open plots. For urban farmers, you can even grow methi in shallow containers on your windowsill.
NURTURING: Water deeply each day, twice a day in summer. This plant requires little maintenance but tends to attract birds like pigeons, since it gives them a cool, cushioned place to sit in during hot summers. You may not feel like eating that crop after this occurs (!) so it’s a good idea to grow it on a protected window sill, or to cover your outdoor containers with wire mesh.
HARVESTING: Your plants will grow rapidly and can be harvested for their leaves at various times. Young methi seedlings (1-2 weeks of growth) are edible as micro-greens while older plants (3-6 weeks of growth) can be consumed as a leafy vegetable. Methi plants left to go to seed will produce flowering stems that will seed the surrounding area. You can harvest this plant for its seeds by collecting mature flower heads, threshing, drying thoroughly and storing in a cool, dry place. You can keep growing methi in that space if you replenish the soil with new compost between harvests. Otherwise, replenish the soil and alternate usage by growing fruiting or rooting veggies in that space next.
Full-grown methi, ready to be harvested
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Mumbai Farmer 
Valuable information. Pls give us more inputs for veg give like radish, cabbage cauliflower.
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Thanks Vatsala! Pls do check out the Plantopedia page on this site – it will link you to pages with info on growing each type of veggie in Mumbai.
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Thankyou mandy for the loaded information. Just wanted to know whether methi plants are harvested as a whole or just by cutting the leaves
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Shabeena, thanks for writing in! The fenugreek plant can be harvested whole by uprooting it entirely, or by cutting the stem a couple of inches above soil level, after which it will regrow. It can be consumed as microgreens within a week or two of germination, and upto three months later when leaves turn less bitter (and before the plant flowers).
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methi small plant urgently urgent
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Methi can be grown very easily from seeds. Please refer to the link under the Plantopedia tab of this website for details.
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Useful information…thanks a lot
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What is the best season in Mumbai for methi? Also, what is peat moss?
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Peat moss is a non-renewable, biodegradable natural product procured from peats and used for horticulture. It can be replaced by cocopeat which provides the same benefits and is a renewable natural product. For info on growing methi in Mumbai please browse this link on my Plantopedia: https://mumbaifarmer.com/what-to-grow/growing-fenugreek-or-methi-in-mumbai/
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Hi Mandy thank you for such a informative article I am a M.arch student and we are searching why certain vegetables are grown in small farms near the track if you can provide some kind of help with that ques it will be very helpful.
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Hi Ankita, I think that question would be best answered by the growers themselves. I can only speculate that local demand for spinach, radish and methi must be very high and unmet by farms outside of Mumbai and so it becomes financially feasible to grow them here. Also, in terms of growing conditions – these three veggies are all quick and non-fussy growers, requiring little input of care/trellising. Critically, they are not attractive to rodents (which are numerous along the rail lines as you may know).
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Thank you. Very nice and detailed information for Mumbaikars. Generally Google pop up western climate information.
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Nice, detailed article 👍🙂 Wanted to check with you if Methi stems with roots (purchased from vegetable vendors) can be replanted in soil, after removing the leaves for use. Will the plant grow again from the stems/roots if replant? Or are the stems/roots useless and have to be disposed off?
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