In a home garden, the seed of the alfalfa is usually not harvested yourself, although that would also be quite possible. The rather rare need is covered by the trade. What does the offer look like and how much seed is really needed?

You can also harvest the lucerne seed yourself

The cultivation of alfalfa

The advantages of alfalfa are being discovered more and more often in private gardens. They are so-called lepidoptera that, thanks to a symbiosis with nodule bacteria, absorb nitrogen directly from the air and store it in their roots. Alfalfa is therefore ideal as green manure to give tired soil more power. One or the other garden owner also appreciates them as edible plants.

The need for sowing

Alfalfa are not planted, they are sown. For this reason, the specialist trade does not offer young plants but appropriate seeds. Successful lucerne cultivation therefore always begins with the small grains. These must be procured in sufficient quality and quantity in good time before sowing.

buy seeds

Alfalfa seeds are sold in different sized units everywhere in stationary gardening shops. It is even more convenient to buy in online shops, which send the seeds to your doorstep within a few days.

Seed prices

Measured against the yield that the cultivation of alfalfa offers, the price for the required seed is comparatively low. Depending on the manufacturer, between 10 and 20 euros are required per kilogram. Since the demand in home gardens is not so high, smaller packaging units are also offered.

Required seed rate

Do not order without specifying the quantity! But how many seeds can it be? If you have no experience with sowing lucerne, you will be overwhelmed here at the latest. An important clue here is the so-called seed strength. It indicates how many kilograms of seed per hectare produce the best results. In the case of alfalfa, the sowing rate is 25 to 30 kg per ha.

Converted to square meter, that is 2.5 to 3 grams of seed. In terms of price, about 2.5 to 5 cents must be used per square meter.

get your own seeds

The required seed quantity does not have to come from the trade every year. Wonderful new seeds can be obtained from your own plants. It should mature well on the plant beforehand. The dry seed must be stored under optimal conditions from harvest to sowing:

  • hermetically sealed
  • cool,
  • dark
  • and dry

tips

If you've harvested more seeds than you need for seed yielding, you can bring them to their dinner plate. The widely appreciated, healthy alfalfa sprouts are grown from the seeds of alfalfa.

Category:

Vegetable garden