If you are familiar with our blog here at Siskiyou Seeds then you know by now what kind of plants we are truly excited by. As a gardener I am always looking for plants that tick all of my boxes and Fenugreek is one of those plants. A beautiful plant with exceptional soil building qualities and a long history of cultivation, Fenugreek can be used for food, fodder and medicine.

Fenugreek  or Trigonellum foenum-graecum is a self pollinating annual plant in the Fabacea family, a relative to our garden delights like peas and beans. Plants in this family form relationships with soil microbiology to fix nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is essential for the growth of plants. You can plant nitrogen fixing plants after heavy feeders like garlic and onions to help rebuild the soil. They make a great cover crop and act as a green manure.  If you want to know more about the function of cover crops check out our blog post.

When a plant has been grown for thousands of years intentionally it is an indication of its essential value to humans.  Native to southern Europe and Asia, there are documented uses of it in Ancient Egypt, Rome and India. It is mainly used as a condiment or spice in culinary preparations. It has a sweet scent and a nutty flavor not unlike maple syrup. The seeds are often roasted to reduce bitterness before use. Both the green leaves and the seeds can be used in cooking. The seeds are a common ingredient in curry powders and you can also sprout the seeds and use them as a micro-green.

There are many medicinal qualities of Fenugreek and a substantial amount of medical study to support these uses. Most of the medical studies surrounding Fenugreek come from the Middle East and India where it is more often employed in traditional medicine systems and cooking. The seeds are reported to have antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic attributes. They are commonly used to increase lactation in nursing mothers and to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract.

Fenugreek is contraindicated for pregnant women and for people who are taking insulin for diabetes. If you are interested in the use of Fenugreek for medicinal purposes there are plenty of resources available, particularly Ayurvedic texts. Generally speaking since Fenugreek is a spice it can be eaten semi-regularly without issue.

One of the other common uses for Fenugreek is as animal feed. In fact the second half of Latin name for Fenugreek means ‘greek hay’. It might be a good crop to incorporate into rotational grazing. It is particularly useful to ruminants and is said to increase their metabolism and digestion.

Growing Tips

So now that your interest is piqued, how do we grow it? Fenugreek should be directly sown into the garden after your last frost. You can transplant it but it does way better when sown directly due to the root structure. It is hardy in zones 6-9 as an annual but can become a perennial in zones 10-12. If you do live in a warmer growing region you can plant the seeds in the fall and overwinter them in the garden.

I think I will try this in Southern Oregon, our growing zone is 9a and it might end up being a useful overwintered cover crop. For colder climates, there is research supporting that and earlier sowing date will lead to a more productive crop then if it is planted later in the spring. Germination is best around 60-67 degrees. Seeds should be planted in furrows about ¼ inch deep and will take 5-10 days to germinate depending on soil moisture and temperature. Plants will grow to around 18” tall.

Grow your Fenugreek in full sun in an area with good drainage. It does not require too much water and can be negatively impacted if it is over watered. Once the seeds have sprouted it is a fairly drought tolerant plant.

Harvest Tips

Harvest the greens when they reach around 10 inches and they will grow back again similar to any cut and come again green. This would be a useful way to harvest green plant material to feed animals. harvest it once and let it come back and go to seed.

To harvest the seed, wait until the seed pods have started to turn yellow. If you have a small patch you can harvest it with a hand held sickle or pick the pods by hand. I would recommend laying a tarp or sheet next to your plants to harvest on.  The pods should be dried and then the seeds removed by threshing or beating the pods.

Let us know if you grow Fenugreek in your garden this year in the comments.

Happy Planting!

Taryn Hunter, Siskiyou Seeds

Reference List

Bahmani, Mahmoud, et al. "A review on ethnobotanical and therapeutic uses of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graceum L)." Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine 21.1 (2016): 53-62.

Khorshidian, Nasim, et al. "Fenugreek: potential applications as a functional food and nutraceutical." Nutrition and Food Sciences Research 3.1 (2016): 5-16.

Komar, O., Bobos, I., & Fedosiy, I. (2022). Adaptive Potential of Fenugreek Species at Different Sowing Times. Plant & Soil Science, 13(1).

Vanghele, N. A., et al. "Cultivation technology and benefits of fenugreek." Annals of the University of Craiova-Agriculture, Montanology, Cadastre Series 50.2 (2021): 558-563.

Smith, Michael. "Therapeutic applications of fenugreek." Alternative Medicine Review 8.1 (2003): 20-27.