In my family, the individuals responsible for the kitchen prefer a continuous and streamlined supply of the herbs, fruits and vegetables that are usually used in meal preparation. From the basic garnishing ingredients used locally, such as lemon, pepper, coriander, ginger and mint, to the Italian herbs used in salads and toppings, a fresh harvest of these kitchen gardening prospects would always make my mother happy.

Her main motivation and approval for kitchen gardening, however, lies with the availability of mainstream vegetables that would help her prepare the daily curry, stew or rice-based food for her family. Once her requirements are met, she seldom has to visit the vegetable seller for the daily vegetable purchases. This makes her happy enough to let her children dedicate a small space to sow, grow and experiment with unique vegetables and herbs that you may hardly grow in Karachi.

This makes way for me to grow plants that are, otherwise, unusual to grow in the local weather or are not found easily locally. They are unique and uncommon, often differently coloured variants of the herbs and vegetables that are usually grown in different continents of the world, with altogether different climate and weather requirements.

The list of the unusual produce we have managed to grow successfully continues to baffle many. This time we challenged ourselves to grow and add another one to this successful list of unique vegetables, fruits and herbs. The chosen one: Indigo Cherry Drops!

Part of the tomato family, the unusual Indigo Cherry Drops look and taste similar to plums, and can be cultivated at home

My colleagues were unanimous in calling it a plum when I shared its photograph with them. While it looks like a cherry or a plum, and somewhat tastes like one too, Indigo Cherry Drops are closer to the tomato family than anything else, cherry tomatoes to be more precise! Today, it is going to be the first of a two-article series in which we will see what Indigo Cherry Drops are all about. This article will focus more on the sowing requirements of the seeds that later produce these sweet royal-coloured delights.

You will be amazed to know that there was no concept of Indigo Cherry Drops until a few years ago. It is one of the latest creations of Professor Jim Myers and his team, from the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University in the USA. They had previously developed the Indigo Rose Tomato back in 2011, after nearly a decade of research. In the ensuing years, they added four more creations.

One of these four creations are the Indigo Cherry Drops. These creations had one thing in common: they possessed a healthy antioxidant-containing pigment known as anthocyanin, which is responsible for the purplish indigo colours in vegetables and fruits. This pigment is also responsible for the characteristic colour of blueberries as well.

The Indigo Cherry Drops are not entirely purplish or indigo in colour. Instead, their skin is dark purple to black, while the interior is dark pink to red in colour. They are usually the size of a plum and are sweet to taste. The seeds look like normal tomato seeds.

The ideal temperature at which the seeds are sown should be below 25 degrees Celsius. In cities such as Karachi, or other warmer areas, the seeds can be sown in October, or whenever the summer starts. If you have limited space available, then the seeds can be individually sown in cups or seedling trays or sprinkled over the surface of the pot.

The already watered soil should be free of pebbles and stones in order to curtail seed displacement. A fine layer of compost can be added over the seeds. The container should be placed under shade so that the soil remains moist throughout; at least till the growth of true leaves. The seeds germinate within two weeks, depending upon factors such as seed quality, water content and the quality of the soil.

The Indigo Cherry Drops plant can also be propagated with cuttings. Many believe that plants grown with stem cuttings result in rapid and improved growth, flowering and yield as compared to the ones grown with seeds. If you find a plant being grown at your friend’s or at any family member’s, it is advisable to snip off a branch for propagation, instead of sowing seeds.

Don’t forget to take consent before removing a stem though. It would be really cruel to take off a branch of such a rare plant without permission and getting unfriended for life!

In our article next week, we will see how the plant fared through the growing and harvest phase and what sort of produce delighted us for some days to come.

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, February 11th, 2024