The monsoon rain has finally showered its blessings on us and given Goa, and its people a respite from the oppressive heat.
The older people dream nostalgically about the Xacuti of frog legs, that was later given the name ‘jumping chicken’, till the enforcement made getting caught with a frog riskier than being caught with a neighbour’s daughter or wife at a restaurant.
And of course, awareness also grew about the ecological services of the frogs.
One can still indulge in the other passions of the monsoon season like eating kanda bhajjas with hot tea, planting grafts and sowing vegetables!
The good news is that vegetable seeds are readily available at the Zonal Agriculture Offices (ZAOs) and outlets of the Goa Bagayatdar and other farmers’ cooperative societies across Goa.
Seed availability, along with the price list, at the start of the season is something that Director of the Directorate of Agriculture, Nevil Alphonso, ensured from the start of his tenure amidst Covid in March 2020 till his retirement on May 31, 2024.
MONSOON GREENS’ SCENE
The monsoon season is the time to grow cucurbits on the hill slopes, or on mounds of soil in flat land, and trail them on trees, trellis (called matov in Konkani), cowshed or on the roof of the house.
Traditionally, farmers in Goa grew cantaloupe, muskmelon (both of which are famously known as mashmelon in Goa), pumpkins, cucumbers and gourds on the hillsides from Sattari to Canacona.
Cucurbits are grown without manure or with a little organic manure at sowing time. Application of lime (chuna or neeru), bonemeal or eggshells helps in obtaining more female flowers and, hence, the fruits.
Long beans, sword beans, cluster beans, vegetable cowpea and other legumes fix nitrogen in the soil in excess of their requirements. This nitrogen is available to companion or succeeding plants.
It is good to grow these legumes in every season. Those beans that produce vines can be trailed just like the cucurbits.
Traditionally, farmers in Goa grew cantaloupe, muskmelon (both of which are famously known as mashmelon in Goa), pumpkins, cucumbers and gourds on the hillsides from Sattari to Canacona.
The diversity of plants, including vegetables from the wild that we have in Goa, are on display in the matoli and in the food during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Goa.
Most of these vegetables sprout with the first showers of rain. Kuddukichi bhaji from Celosia argeratum, talkuleachi bhaji from Cassia tora, the alloo bhaji of Colocasia esculenta, the vowchi bhaji of Basela alba, the fagllam or Spiny Gourds of Momordica dioica and the ubiquitous drumsticks of Moringa oleifera are just a few of the traditional local vegetables.
Ladyfingers or bhendi (Abelmoschus esculenta), are a hot favourite during summer as well as the monsoon period.
Arka Anamika is a promising variety from IIHR-Bangalore and has been grown in Goa from the late 1980s. It is not as good as the local Sath Xiramcho Bhendo, but it is largely tolerant to the Bhendi Yellow Vein Mosaic Disease or BYVMD.
More work in the local selections or resistance breeding needs to be done on the local variety.
The Elephant’s Tusk bhendi from Kerala thrives in the monsoons, with pods growing a foot long. The seeds are now available in Goa.
There is a mobile seed and manures outlet at the gate of the Zonal Agriculture Office, Mapusa, every Friday morning, from 9.30 am to 1 pm, in case you have difficulty accessing seeds closer to your home.
You can also get home delivery from local distributors or buy online, and grow your own vegetables this monsoon.
(The author is the former Chairman of the GCCI Agriculture Committee, CEO of Planter's Choice Pvt Ltd, Additional Director of OFAI and Garden Superintendent of Goa University, and has edited 18 books for Goa & the Konkan)