Fenugreek

Fenugreek: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Annual herbaceous plant 40–50 cm tall and 15–20 cm wide, with an upright, sparsely branched stem.

Leaves

Made up of three oval leaflets, like clover, 1–3 cm; light to mid green with a spicy scent.

Flower

Small pale yellow to white pea flowers, usually single or in pairs in the leaf axils, in June–July.

Pod and seed

Long (10–15 cm), narrow, slightly curved pods holding 10–20 yellow-brown seeds.

Roots

A taproot with nodules in which nitrogen-fixing bacteria live.

Flowering: June–July · Harvest and fruit: May–September · Sowing: April–May

Why grow it?

• A quick, easy herb crop: you can harvest young leaves after just a few weeks.
• Both leaves and seeds can be used in the kitchen, and the seeds also as sprouts on the windowsill.
• As a legume it enriches the soil with nitrogen: it also works as a green manure.
• The small flowers in June–July are visited by bees.
• Fits well in a vegetable garden or a large pot on a sunny patio.

Fenugreek: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and warmth for the best growth and seed set.
• Free-draining, moderately fertile soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to normally moist: cold, wet soil causes seedlings to rot.
• Sow 10–15 cm apart in rows 20–30 cm apart.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.5 m tall, 0.2 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: overwinter indoors (above 0 °C)

Goes well with

• Coriander: The same sunny spot and good together in Indian cooking.
• Tomato: Fills gaps between young tomato plants and enriches the soil with nitrogen.
• Courgette: A sturdy summer vegetable that grows in the same warm soil.
• Pot marigold: Edible, colourful flowers as a cheerful neighbour in the vegetable garden.

Fenugreek: when and how to plant it?

1. Sow in April–May directly outside, when the soil has warmed up and frost is no longer expected.
2. Make shallow drills 1–2 cm deep, 20–30 cm apart.
3. Scatter the seeds 2–3 cm apart, cover with soil and firm lightly.
4. Water; in warm weather the seeds germinate in about a week.
5. Thin the plants to 10–15 cm. Sow again every 3–4 weeks for fresh leaves into summer.

Care

Water

Keep the soil lightly moist until the plants are established. After that ordinary summer rain is enough.

Feeding

Little needed: as a legume it makes its own nitrogen. Too much feed gives a lot of leaf and few seeds.

Weeding

Keep young plants free of weeds; later the crop suppresses them itself.

Harvesting leaves

Snip young shoots and leaves from about 4–6 weeks after sowing, before flowering: they are then at their mildest.

In the kitchen

Use the leaves in curries, lentils and vegetable dishes; the seeds lightly roasted in spice mixes. Do not roast them too dark: they turn bitter.

Tip: Sow a new row every 3–4 weeks for a continuous harvest of young leaves. Cut the shoots 5 cm above the ground: they grow back.

Fenugreek: when to prune it?

When: Not really: you harvest during the season and clear the plant after the seed harvest.

How:

• Cut young shoots 5 cm above the ground: in good weather it regrows a second time.
• Pick leaves or snip tips before flowering if you mainly want foliage.
• Remove the plant after seed-setting, in September, and leave the roots in the soil: they rot down and enrich the soil.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in April–May directly outside, 1–2 cm deep. Keep seed from your own crop dry and dark for next year.

Sprouts

Soak the seeds in water for 8–12 hours, rinse them twice a day and grow them into sprouts in 3–5 days. Use only seeds meant for eating.

Fenugreek: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 0 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Annual and not hardy: the plant dies at the first frost.
• Compost the remains or leave the roots in the soil: they supply nitrogen to the next crop.
• Let a few pods ripen and keep the seeds dry for next spring.

Diseases and pests

• Damping off: Seedlings rot at the base in cold, wet soil. Sow only when the soil is warm, and not too thickly.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in warm, humid weather. Give more space, water at the base and cut away affected parts.
• Slugs: They strip young plants. Collect them in the evening or set up a barrier.
• Aphids: On young shoots. Rinse off with water or let ladybirds clear them.

Through the year

• March: Prepare the seedbed: loosen the soil and clear weeds.
• April: Sow when the soil is warm enough.
• May: Sow. Thin to 10–15 cm.
• June: First flowers. Harvest young leaves and sow again.
• July: Flowering: bees visit. Keep harvesting leaves.
• August: Pods ripen. Water in dry weather.
• September: Harvest the seeds when the pods are dry and yellow-brown. Clear the plants.

Edible and useful

Leaves (May–August)

Cut the young leaves (methi) from four to six weeks after sowing, before flowering: that is when they are mildest. Cut the shoots 5 cm above the ground and they will grow back; with a new row every three to four weeks you will have leaves until August. They taste spicy and slightly bitter. In Indian cooking they go into curries, dal, potato dishes and flatbread dough; dried, they are called kasoori methi.

Seeds (August–September)

In August and September the long pods turn yellowish brown and dry: cut them off, leave them to finish drying in a paper bag and rub out the hard, yellowish brown seeds. In a cool summer they do not always ripen. The seeds smell of maple syrup and curry and taste bitter: use them sparingly, lightly toasted or briefly fried in oil, in curries, dal, spice blends and pickles. Do not toast them too dark, or they turn very bitter.

Storing

Fresh leaves keep for 2 to 3 days in a bag in the fridge. They dry well: dry them on a rack somewhere airy and dark, crumble them and keep them in a closed jar. The seeds keep for one to two years in a closed jar, dark and dry.

Caution: Use fenugreek as a spice, in the amounts given in a recipe. During pregnancy, not in larger amounts such as tea, sprouts or supplements. People allergic to peanuts, chickpeas or other legumes may also react to fenugreek. Fenugreek can lower blood sugar and affect blood thinners: if you take these or diabetes medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice. If you sprout the seeds, use seed sold for sprouting: raw sprouts can carry harmful bacteria. After eating it, your sweat may smell of maple syrup; that is harmless.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Potatoes with fenugreek leaves (aloo methi) (Dish · 4 people · 35 min)
• Red lentil dal with fenugreek seeds (Dish · 4 people · 40 min)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name Trigonella means ‘little triangle’ and refers to the shape of the flower; foenum-graecum is Latin for ‘Greek hay’.
• It has been grown for thousands of years; seeds have been found at archaeological sites in the ancient Middle East.
• The seeds smell of maple syrup and curry; that scent is typical of the spice.