Velvet Beans

12th April 2016:

This is one of our green manure plants, Velvet bean. We use it for nitrogen fixing, weed suppression, moisture retention and general soil improvement.
It is part of our conservation farming initiative.
A little note
Velvet Beans are a summer legume.  Their heavy root and vine growth provide an excellent summer cover crop that greatly improves the soil organic matter and soil tilth.  The vines may reach 12-15 feet and the roots grow as long as 20-30 feet. This legume looks much like kudzu except you can control it.  Over the summer the plant provides around 80 pounds of Nitrogen for the next crop along with giving weed control and some nematode suppression.  The beans they produce are a concentrated high-protein feed. In years past they were grown for cattle and hogs.