Fenugreek Seeds

Leaf, seed or both

Trigonella foenum-graecum, common fenugreek or methi, is used as a green herb and as a seed condiment in curries. Extension guides for temperate climates give 30–40 days from sowing to a herb cut and 105–140 days to ripe seed; in summer heat cut earlier, before the plants flower.

A 100-seed packet weighs about 2 g, at roughly 18–22 g per 1,000 seeds (approximate, typical for the species; varies by lot).

Depth, spacing and soaking

Sow about 2–4 cm deep after soaking the seed in water for about 12 hours, once the soil is above 10 °C.

Spacing depends on the crop you want: 5–30 cm between plants in the row, wider for seed, and 10–50 cm between rows, wider for herb. Herb growers often use 5 cm between plants and 30–50 cm between rows.

Soil, frost and what goes wrong

Use well-drained loam; the tolerated pH range is 5.3–8.2, and the plant does poorly in wet soil. Frost is tolerated only while the plant is still vegetative.

Damping-off, root rots and Cercospora and Alternaria leaf spots are the diseases extension services list for the crop.

Common fenugreek or Kasuri methi

This card is common fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum. Kasuri methi is Trigonella corniculata, sold separately as our Fenugreek, Mathi Kasuri Seeds.

The pods tell them apart: common fenugreek pods grow up to about 10 cm and hold 10–20 seeds, while Kasuri methi pods are 2–3 cm. Common fenugreek also ripens seed sooner, in 105–140 days against 150–160 days reported for Kasuri methi.

Sowing fenugreek in India

In Tamil Nadu, fenugreek is sown in two seasons, June–July and October–November, in cool, comparatively dry, frost-free weather. Seedlings are thinned 20–25 days after sowing and the thinnings can be eaten as greens.

Tamil Nadu guidance gives 20 × 15 cm spacing, 20–25 days to a greens crop and 90–100 days to grain, shorter than the temperate figures above.

Also known as

Methi, Methi dana, Greek hay, Greek clover, Venthayam, Menthulu, Alholva, Fenugrec, Bockshornklee, Fieno greco, Hulba and Shanbalileh.