Beans and Legumes Organic Nitrogen

Beans and Legumes Organic Nitrogen

Author: chris j meagher
For nitrogen fixation, with very few exceptions, beans are best and indeed, all leguminous plants.

Beans, in particular, are compatible with most plants, although the

allium family is highly antagonistic. Try it. Plant beans next to

garlic - and watch them sulk.

In the legume family, that of broad-beans, or fava-beans, is probably

the best nitrogen supplier I have ever seen. There are certain periods

throughout the plants growth, where, not only can you SEE the nitrogen

nodules, but, they are actually able to be weighed.

When considering the use of nitrogenous plants as companions, in

vegetable growing, a decision must be made as to whether or not the

bean is there purely for the nitrogenous qualities, or, if a produce

return is expected also. I have always felt that any produce is a

bonus, but never actually expect any due to the general treatment the

legumes get.

Meaning, if I am using legumes as nursery, or shelter plants for

another crop, as the beans start to take off, they are pruned to

two-thirds of their size. The prunings become part of the existing

mulch.

Apart from keeping them manageable and preventing competition with the

main crop, this causes the plants to shed their nitrogen, at times

producing some remarkable results.

For mineral utilization AND nitrogen fixation, one just cannot go past

lucerne. This legume has extraordinarily deep roots and brings up a lot

of trace elements. I mainly use lucerne in the walkways, as a good way

to utilize what is basically fallow soil. I cut it from an early stage,

just as flowers form, and continue to do so from then on.

Being penultimate to flowering, then being denied the chance, forces

the plant to become biennial. This then affords an in-situ supply of

nitrogenous mulch for the beds.

Lucerne, being attractive to aphis, acts as a food source for ladybirds, also as a shelter belt for beneficial insects.

I have tried using clover as a living mulch, nitrogen fixer, but found

it to be far too invasive, to the point of rapaciousness as it

practically took over the garden.

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Organic Gardening Magic
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