Trigonella foenum-graecum

Trigonella foenum-graecum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m by 0.4 m at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite and is pollinated by Insects.
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light , medium and heavy soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil, preferring a well-drained loamy soil in full sun. Requires a warm, sheltered position in Britain. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. Fenugreek is widely cultivated for its edible seed in warm temperate and tropical regions, there are some named varieties. Seed production is more problematic in Britain due to the cooler and moister summers. The seed is ripened intermittently over a period of some weeks making harvesting more complicated. Plants take about 16 weeks to mature in warmer climes, probably about 4 weeks longer in Britain. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.