Onobrychis viciifolia organic seeds - Sainfoin
Onobrychis viciifolia organic seeds - Sainfoin
Onobrychis viciifolia
Green manure
More information
Back-to-school special offer!
Get €10 off for every €50 you spend! And get up to €40 off on a single order.
How does it work?
1. Shop your favourites
Add your favourite plants to your basket. For every €50 you spend (excluding delivery charges, store credit and the plastic-free option), you’ll receive a €10 voucher.
€50 spent = €10 voucher
€100 spent = €20 voucher
€150 spent = €30 voucher
€200 spent = €40 voucher
2. Place your order
Once your basket reaches one of the spending thresholds, place your order. You can even choose your delivery date!
3. Receive your voucher
As soon as your order has been shipped, you’ll receive an email containing your personal voucher code and its value.
4. Use it on your next order
Your voucher is valid for 90 days from the date you receive it. It can be used once only, on a new order worth at least the value of the voucher, excluding delivery charges.
Please note: Vouchers can be combined with other offers, but cannot be split or refunded.
Why not try an alternative variety in stock?
View all →
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 3 sizes
Available in 1 sizes
Available in 3 sizes
Available in 2 sizes
This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty
More information
We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
Description
Organic Annual Sainfoin is an interesting legume used as a green manure and is a top honey-producing plant. Derived from cultivated sainfoin, it forms a flowering ground cover that feeds pollinators while regenerating the soil. Its very deep taproot decompacts the soil, bringing water and minerals to the surface, while its root nodules fix nitrogen from the air. Used in the vegetable garden, orchard, or a flower border, it helps to significantly improve dry, chalky, or poor soils. Sow from March to the end of April at a rate of 400 to 500 grams per 100m².
Organic Annual Sainfoin is cultivated sainfoin, Onobrychis viciifolia, of the Fabaceae family. The species is native to dry meadows of central and southern Europe, extending towards Turkey, Iran, and other regions of western Asia. It is found on sunny slopes, poor soils, and well-drained chalky soils. It is a herbaceous perennial. In agriculture and the vegetable garden, however, it is most often grown as a short-term crop, over one to two years: this cultivation method explains the commercial name " annual sainfoin", even though the plant itself is botanically perennial.
Sainfoin develops a very powerful taproot, which can descend several metres deep. Numerous hollow, 40 to 80cm tall stems emerge from its crown. The stems bear pinnate leaves, formed of 6 to 14 pairs of oblong, light-looking leaflets. The inflorescence is an erect, slightly conical cluster of numerous butterfly-like flowers. These are bright pink to soft pink, veined with purple on the banner.
In the garden, sow Organic Annual Sainfoin in strips or wide beds in the vegetable garden, along the edge of the orchard, or in a flowering meadow, always in chalky soil. Allow it to cover the ground and flower, then mow it before full seed set to dig in part of the plant material or leave it to dry as mulch. It pairs well with other green manures such as Organic Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), which decompacts and fixes nitrogen, or Organic Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum). It can also be paired with Phacelia tanacetifolia, a nectar-rich plant, or Organic 100% Nectar-bearing Flower Fallow. This creates a ground cover which is very attractive to beneficial insects, and prepares the ground before or after hungry vegetable crops.
Historically, sainfoin has provided honey in several French chalky regions, and its name "sain foin" (healthy hay) recalls that it is a quality fodder for livestock.
Widely used in permaculture, green manures have many benefits: they enrich and decompact the soil while preventing the establishment of weeds. They also form a ground cover that protects silty soils from rain capping and sandy soils from leaching.
Harvest
Plant habit
Foliage
Botanical data
Onobrychis
viciifolia
Fabaceae
Green manure
Hedysarum onobrychis, Onobrychis sativa, Onobrychis onobrychis, Onobrychis vulgaris
Central Europe, Southern Europe
Perennial
Planting and care
Sow organic annual sainfoin from March to the end of April, in full sun, in clean, well-crumbled, free-draining soil, preferably lime-bearing or neutral. Broadcast sow the seeds at a rate of about 4 to 5 g/m² (400 to 500 g per 100m²), or in rows spaced about twenty centimetres apart if you wish to weed between the rows.
Cover the seeds very lightly with 1 to 2cm of fine soil using a rake, then firm down with a roller or the back of the rake to ensure good contact with the soil. Water once if the weather is dry to encourage germination; afterwards, the plant will manage on its own once its roots begin to grow downwards. Avoid heavy, cold, or waterlogged soils, where germination is irregular and the plants are more fragile.
Seedlings
Care
Intended location
Planting & care advice
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
This item has not been reviewed yet - be the first to leave a review about it.
Recently viewed products
Haven't found what you were looking for?
Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a (East Coast and Midlands: Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Portlaoise). It will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the north-west (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal, Westport), delay planting by 1 to 2 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 1 to 2 weeks in autumn compared to the dates given, preferably choosing periods without strong winds.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (Wicklow Mountains, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Connemara, Killarney), it is best to plant in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October), avoiding periods of waterlogged soil in winter and strong winds, which pose the main risk to newly planted trees in these areas.
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a, such as the East Coast and Midlands, including Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Portlaoise.
This will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the northwest (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal and Westport), it will be delayed by one to two weeks compared to the given dates, due to stronger Atlantic winds and less spring sunshine.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (the Wicklow Mountains, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Connemara and Killarney), flowering will be delayed by two to three weeks. Flowering mainly occurs between May and July, with the limiting factors being less frost and more of the excessive humidity, strong winds and lack of sunshine that are characteristic of these areas.