Fenugreek Green Manure Seeds

Overview

Fenugreek Green Manure is a quick growing annual that can be ready to dig in 10 weeks from sowing. It can be sown from March to August and performs best on well-drained but slightly heavy soils. It will tolerate lighter ones if they are fairly moist.

It is an attractive bushy plant that is suitable for summer sowing and produces small white flowers with lots of bushy foliage but it is best to incorporate before flowering. It is part of the Legume family and should be treated as such for crop rotation purposes. However it can only fix nitrogen if the appropriate bacteria are in the soil which is unlikely in UK.

Some alternative uses of Fenugreek - it is very popular in Indian cuisine - the seed is used for pickles and curries. In the Middle East the seed is roasted and used as a coffee substitute. The sprouting seeds are eaten as greens in salads for organic foodies and USA use it as a lower cost alternative to maple syrup – so a very versatile plant. This green manure seed is not fit for human consumption.

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Sowing months	March, April, May, June, July, August
Growing period	2-3 months
Ideal soil type	Heavy
Avoid soil type	N/A
Nitrogen fixer	Yes (in soils containing bacteria).
How to sow	Prepare the soil by roughly digging it over and removing any weeds. Lightly tread the soil, and then sow the seeds by broadcast sowing (i.e. scattering evenly) for good coverage. Rows can be sown but are not as good for weed suppression. Rake the soil and water well. In dry periods you may need to water until the green manure is established.
Care	The green manure should be cut down before flowering when the stems are nice and soft as they decompose quicker, retain more beneficial nutrients and are easier to incorporate into the soil. They can be dug into the soil by turning over into the top 15cms or left on the top as a mulch, the worms will drag down the organic matter and help to aerate the soil.
Sow rate	5 grams per square metre.
Area covered	50g pack = 10m² 100g pack = 20m² 250g pack = 50m² 500g pack = 100m²

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