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Legumes
February 9, 2011
What if someone told you that there were plants that could put Nitrogen into your soil without chemical fertilizers? What if they told you that those same plants could supply you and your family with food as well? There is such a plant and you may be a little surprised that Legumes are one of the most commonly grown crops on the planet
What Are Some Examples?
Here’s a list of some common Legumes:
- Peas
- Green Beans
- Soy Beans
- Locusts
- Mimosas
- Bundle Flowers
- Acacias
- Clovers
- Alfalfas
- Lupines
- Peanuts
- Rooibos (S. African Tea)
How Do They Help Fix Nitrogen?
One of the biggest reasons to have Legumes in your garden is their ability to aid in the fixation of Nitrogen in your soil. Many commercial farmers run a planting regiment of 1 year of soybeans and then 2 years of corn. This is because the soybeans, being a Legume, fix atmospheric Nitrogen in the soil that help the nutrient dependent corn thrive.
But how do they fix the Nitrogen?
Legumes use a process known as Biological Nitrogen Fixation. In this action the plant’s roots form a symbiotic relationship with soil microorganisms called Rhizobia by forming nodules within their root system. This in turn creates a micro-climate for the bacteria which provides the plant with an extra source of food allowing it to be more competitive. When the plant dies (or in permaculture, mulched) the nitrogen can be released into the soil and becomes available to other plants. Not to say that the plant isn’t also releasing Nitrogen while still alive as well!
Perennial Legumes
Although the most commonly commercially grown Legumes are annuals, there are also an abundance of perennial and tree Legumes. One of the benefits of of these species is there ability to consistently supply your soil with Nitrogen. When pruned at the top to be used for mulch, the roots also self prune. This results in a deposit of those Nitrogen fixing bacteria and the nitrogen itself, in turn fertilizing your soil.
In Your Garden
Considering the vast amount of species available, many of which can serve some kind of purpose in your garden, there is no reason you can’t have these highly beneficial plants in your garden. Many are easily grown from seed or bought from a local nursery. Start supplying your own fertilizer and get planting some Legumes today!
This entry was posted in Gardening and tagged Beans, Fertilizer, Legumes, Ntirogen Fixation, Peas. Bookmark the permalink. ← A Bit On Echinacea Coppicing →6 Responses to Legumes
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Excellent suggestion infinite!
Looks like the inoculant tend to run under 10 USD too, so not a bad thing to add if you have a couple extra bucks.
I’ve been curious what would need to be done to culture the bacteria so that you have a supply for future projects instead of having to rely on store bought stuff.
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Infiniteohms says:
Once you inoculate the soil it should be all set for years to come, as long as you aren’t doing things to kill the soil biology (like tilling often or spraying lots of chemicals). I try and take extra care of the soil life by keeping perennials and mulching as much as i can. If you have one area of healthy soil you can always throw a handful of that healthy soil in a less healthy area as you are planting or mulching to bring in some “seed” bacteria/fungi/animals.
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oh, just a plug for my favorite seed company, FEDCO sells garden combo legume inoculant for $4.50 for enough to treat 8lbs of seed or 5.50 for enough for 50lbs… that 5.50 packet could get split up between about a city worth of gardeners.
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ogs/search.php?item=8401&index=0&listname=Inoculant -
Thank you for your great post! It has been extremely useful. I hope that you will continue sharing your wisdom with us.
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Oh boy! Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some images to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is outstanding blog post. A outstanding read. I will definitely return again.
Rhizobia can be found as a free living soil bacteria in most healthy soils, however if you are planting legumes into a heavily tilled or otherwise damaged soil you might consider inoculating your seeds with a Rhizobia mix to make sure they are there for your new plants to co-habitate with.