dried beans?

[Ganico]

I did a search here for "legumes" and beans, and found they are high in Nitrogen


I was just wondering if you could grind some dried beans and use them in place of alfalfa meal to ammend soil

Any thoughts?

 

[jaykush]

legumes are nitrogen fixers. they convert N from the air and bring it to the soil, most people use them as cover crops in winter so the soil is fresh come growing season, they use the growing plants not dried beans. i doubt it will be bad if dried and mixed in, anything organic will pretty much break down eventually. given enough time im sure the microbes will do there work on the beans. it would be best to grind them up then leaving them whole.

 

[Ganico]

Ah, they bring nitrogen INTO the soil? That's what "fixer" means? I guess it's only really useful for folks who use the same spots every season then?

 

[quadracer]

Ah, they bring nitrogen INTO the soil? That's what "fixer" means? I guess it's only really useful for folks who use the same spots every season then?

You can also use it as green manure. When the plants are nice and green, dig them into the ground for next season and it will give some added nitrogen, and some compost, to the soil for next years season.

 

[barnyard]

I'll second jaykush's point on response

green manure is a great idea quadracer

buckwheat, used as a cover crop, is fast enough to use same season, and there are others

also try interplanting symbiotically benefical plants. For example growing corn and beans together

ideally the garden should be set up so that everything performs multiple functions. The beans provide nitrogen for the corn, the corn a structure for the beans to grow on. Plus both produce food, compost material (although cord stalks are hard to break down), seed for next years crop, wrapping for tamales etc. etc.