Methi Seeds Description
Methi Seeds Fenugreek, Latin name Trigonella foenum-graecum, is an annual herb native to South Europe and Asia. The plant grows quickly to 2 feet tall and fixes nitrogen into the soil. White or yellow flowers appear in the early summer and develop yellow-brown seed pods in the fall. This legume plant is used for food, seasoning, condiments, medicine, dye and livestock forage.
Methi Seeds The plant and seed give off a maple aroma and taste. This herb is tender and does not survive freezing weather, so the seeds are cultivated during the spring after the last frost occurs.
Common name | Flower colours | Bloom time | Height | Difficulty |
---|---|---|---|---|
Trigonella foenum-graecum (botanical name), methi, samudra methi, shanbalile, abesh, hilbeh, hilba, helba, halba | White flowers appear in early summer and develop into long, slender, yellow-brown pods containing the brown seeds of fenugreek. | spring to early autumn seasons. | The plant reaches a height of 0.3 to 0.8 meters and has trifoliate leaves. | Easy |
Planting and care
- Choose a suitable place for planting. Choose a position in full sun and with soil that is of good to rich quality and drains well.
- The soil should have a pH of around 6.0-7.0 and should remain dry and warm.
- Avoid cold, wet soils as these will cause fenugreek seeds to rot. As a legume, fenugreek adds nitrogen to the soil, making it useful as a cover crop restoring nitrogen to the soil.
Sunlight Soil Water Temperature Fertilizer full sun to part shade. - Methi grows well in a neutral to slightly acid (pH 6.0-7.0) soil.
- Dig the ground to a depth of 25 cm and break big chunks of soil. Mix some river sand to make it free draining .
- Mix lots of organic material like compost and aged manure to make the soil fertile.
Keep the soil moist, but do not over-water. 10-30C Fenugreek does not require fertilizer however, you can mix manure or compost in soil while planting.
Caring for Methi Kasturi
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- The plant does not like to be transplanted after germination, so the seeds should be sown at the final place. Or you can sow seeds in biodegradable pots which can be put directly into the ground later on.
- Sow seeds about 5 mm deep and 50 mm apart in straight line trenches for seed sowing. You can also sow the seeds in criss-cross patterns. In stead of sowing in trenches, you can just sprinkle the seeds on the bed and cover with soil.
- Water well and keep soil well-moistened.
- Seeds will germinate in 3-5 days.
- In the areas of frost, it may be started indoors 5 weeks prior to the last frost of the season. The seedlings can be transplanted outdoors when the soil temperature is around 15-20C
- I sow seeds every 2-3 weeks in the season, so that when the first set of plants die, I am having the next set to get fresh methi.
Harvesting
- Methi leaves will be ready to harvest within 3-4 weeks After planting. I just chop the leaves from the top of the plants as and when I need it in the kitchen.
- This will encourage more growth and you will be able to harvest again fresh leaves after 2-3 weeks.
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