If you want to spice up your herb garden and go beyond the usual parsley, thyme, and mint, try celery or caraway, which are popular in Indian cooking. It is an attractive, easy-to-grow herb for indoor beds and containers. All you need is a little knowledge of the clove plant to enjoy this deliciously aromatic herb.
What is Ajwain?
Traditional Indian celery (Trachyspermum ammi), also known as carom, ajwan, and bishop’s weed, is a medicinal plant. It grows quickly and easily, spreading and filling in gaps in beds. The leaves are attractive and scaly, so celery can be grown for use in the kitchen but also as borders or in bunches in ornamental beds.
The leaves have a fresh, herbal flavor reminiscent of thyme. You can also use the seeds in cooking, which are similar to cumin and contain hints of thyme, fennel, and oregano. The leaves are used fresh in vegetable and yogurt dishes, while the seeds can be ground or used whole in curries, sauces, sauces, and lentils.
Some of the traditional medicinal uses of the carom herb plants include various digestive problems: upset stomach, gas, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. It has also been used to treat bacterial and fungal infections, asthma and other respiratory ailments, to relieve coughs, and as a diuretic.
How to grow carom in a greenhouse or outdoor environment
If you live in a tropical area, you can grow carom outside as a perennial. In milder climates, it can be an annual outdoors or you can grow it indoors in containers. It is an easy plant to grow, but it can be difficult to find. If you can find fresh celery at a specialty Indian grocery store, you can grow the plant from cuttings.
Carrom grows in almost any type of soil but prefers more alkaline soils. It doesn’t need a lot of organic matter, and once it’s in the ground, it’ll only need plain water and sunlight.
Make sure the soil drains well and don’t over water it, and your clove plants will begin to grow and spread. Avoid planting in places you don’t want it to fill in. It tends to take possession, as does mint.
