This gorgeous plant in the solanaceous family (related to peppers, tomato, eggplant) is native to the drier regions of India, Northern Africa and the Middle East. It's popularly used in Ayurevedic medicine and has been for at least 3,000 years. Also known as Indian Ginseng. It seems to grow in a wide variety of conditions around the globe, and is at home in the sub-tropic weather. We had great success with it, harvesting healthy roots and loads of seeds and leaves for winter medicine. Has a wide variety of uses as it is an adaptogen. The pungent root smells very strongly - Earthy, horsey, bitter.

Sow 1/4" deep indoors and set transplants outdoors once all dangers of frost have passed. These really love heat and light and can be resistant to germination. Give them time (sometimes a few weeks), and preferably start when it's naturally warm or indoors on a heat source. We set ours out mid March and started harvesting roots at the end of July and through the late summer. Ashwagandha prefers to be in full sun, and does not need irrigation once established. Harvest of the roots can happen around when a lot of the ripening seed pods (which are like tiny tomatillos in little papery lanterns) turn brown. Here's a great video on harvesting and processing.

The only issue with leaving them in too long is that they are susceptible to root knot nematodes, so harvest as early as possible and if they did get infected, follow planting that area with a mustard in the winter and build up good organic soil with mulch and compost.