By Chris Winslow
Indian curry leaf has proved to be an easy plant to grow here in our central Texas area.
Native to India and Sri Lanka, Indian curry leaf is a member of the rue family, which includes citrus and the popular herb rue. (In olden times, rue was thought to improve eyesight and creativity, and is a host plant for swallow-tail butterflies.)
In its native habitat, curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) grows as a small tree, reaching a height of 15 to 20 feet.
It is popular with Indians and fans of Indian cuisine because of its highly aromatic pinnate leaves which are used to make curry. Leaves are chopped and fried in oil with onions as a start to many traditional dishes.
Here at the nursery we grow curry from seed obtained from our mother plants. The white flowers bloom in clusters, each providing shiny black berries containing one seed each.
We remove the seed from the berry and plant in a soil-less potting or germinating mix (Metro). The berry needs to be plump and soft. If allowed to dry and shrivel, germination is poor. With fresh seed, the germination is close to 100%!
Since curry leaf is a tropical tree, it can’t survive freezing temperatures. We planted one in our butterfly garden last spring and it survived through our very mild winter. Our low around 30 degrees didn’t harm the tree.
Lucky for us, curry leaf is easy to grow in containers. Plant them in full sun to part shade, and use a great soil mix like Metro or Happy Frog, and keeping moist but not wet.
Give one a try. Because I cannot let one seed go to waste, I have hundreds of baby curries ; - )
Happy gardening everyone!
If you have a question for Chris, send it via email to [email protected]. Or mail a postcard to It’s About Thyme11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748, www.itsaboutthyme.com
