Fenugreek

Traditionally the fenugreek plant has been used over the centuries as a herb and a spice in cooking and for medicinal purposes. In the UK there has been some trials carried out using the plant as a soil improving green manure. Due to its rapid growth it has been trialled in poly tunnels where productivity is high and gaps in the rotation for fertility building are short.

Uses

In the UK it has been used as a soil improving plant, for short term n fixation.

Persistence

A short term annual species.

Strengths

It is an easy to grow, ground covering plant. Due to its rapid growth it will grow from seed to flowering and be ready to incorporate in 6 - 8 weeks. It competes well with weeds.

Frost Tolerance

Some resilience to frost reported, but likely to be killed off by the end of winter.

Sowing Rate Advice

10kg per acre / 25kg per ha.

A slightly larger seed than true clover seed.

Ideal Sowing Time

It should be planted into warm soils from mid to late spring, until mid summer. Autumn plantings are likely to succumb to early frost, although this may differ in heated poly tunnels.

Management

Topping or mowing is not advised, unless prior to incorporation.

Distinguishing characteristics

Seed
Fenugreek is a distinctive seed, it has a noticeable smell similar to cumin. The seed has an angular, squarish to diamond shape and is a beige to orange colour. It has a matt, but smooth texture and is 4 - 5mm in length.

Seedling
The seedling produces two rounded, oblong cotyledons, the first true leaf begins to form the leaflets.

Flowering Plant
Fenugreek leaves have a waxy upper surface, with toothed margins. The trifoliate leaves are made up of 3 oval to oblong leaflets. The plant produces a folded, white flower, before producing long narrow seed pods.

Additional Info

Average seeds per kg - 63,000. Fenugreek is a legume, but to reliably fix atmospheric nitrogen it should be mixed with the correct rhizobium meliloti to encourage nodulation. The seeds and plants emit a distinctive cumin type smell associated with curry.

Works well with

Potentially it could be combined with other quick growing legumes like berseem or persian Clover or the fast establishing mustard plant.

Buy Fenugreek Straight

You can find Fenugreek in the following mixtures

• Annual Beneficial Insect Mix