Shanker’s
Tips on Growing your Methi at Home
Benefits
of consuming Methi
There are several benefits.
The two major ones are
1. It enhances lactation, i,e, the output of
breast milk in nursing mothers. Infants can get more of Mother's milk for
longer durations and this helps in raising a strong child., a strong family, a strong
community and a strong nation
2. Fenugreek or Methi is known to be good
for diabetics. It will certainly help in restricting and controlling the
consumption of allopathic medicines. My dosage of medication for diabetes has
not increased for the last several years. Of course, medication proper diet and
exercise are all important in managing diabetes, and fenugreek is a great
friend
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| Successful experiments |
And there are a lot of delicious recipes
possible with methi
Cycle
time:
-
From
sowing to harvesting: 9 days
-
Day1:
Sow Methi (Fenugreek) seeds. Day 9:
Harvest (+ or – one day)
Container
( let's call it pot)
-
Use an
earthenware or plastic 2 liter container
or similar to contain the soil. Drill or cut
holes of about 1 cm dia along the rim at 4 points at the bottom of the
container to ensure that the excess water drains off. Insert a thick plastic
bag with small holes punched at the bottom inside the pot.
-
-
Soil Preparation:
-
-
To prepare the soil, take 3 parts of
potting mix & 1 part of cow manure.
-
These
are readily available in the market. Sprinkle some water and mix thoroughly
into a homogeneous blend. Pour the soil mix into the plastic bag that is inside
the pot. Pat the soil gently so that the surface remains pervious to water
-
The
soil depth should be about 3 inches minimum to enable the roots go as deep as
is possible
Sowing
Fenugreek seeds:
-
Use one heaped tablespoon of
Methi ( Fenugreek)seeds. This is approx. 10 grams and adequate for a 2
liter pot ( surface area of the soil being about 8 inches into 4 inches. If using a larger pot then the quantity of
seeds will have to be proportionately more.
Another option is to use multiple pots to get multiple crops. For
example, with 3 pots & staggering the sowing by 3 days, we can get a crop
every 3 to 4 days.
-
The
cycle time from sowing to harvesting is around 9 days, and could go up to 12 days
. With experience you will be able to decide when to harvest and that will enable the number of containers
you need to sow in, and the soil quantum thereof.
-
When sowing in larger tubs, take the seeds
in a polybag and "tumble" blend so that a coating of soil gets formed
around the seeds
-
Spread
seeds uniformly on surface of the soil to cover entire area of the exposed
soil. Do not sow the seeds deep under
the soil. Just on the surface and cover with a layer of gently sprinkled of
soil
-
Spread
some fresh soil mix on top of the seeds to cover the seeds.
-
Sprinkle
some water on the soil. No need for
excess watering. Retaining dampness is important. Do not flood with water
-
Place
the pot at a place where it will receive adequate sunlight.
Watering:
-
Water
only for dampening the soil. Water twice
a day – morning & evening,
depending on the weather. The
soil has to remain damp, not necessarily wet
Adding fertilizers:
Every 4 to 5 weeks,
spray some Seasol fertiliser mix on soil.
You can use Seaweed concentrate + Powerfeed concentrate diluted as
recommended.
Harvesting:
-
Generally
cycle time is 9 days from date of sowing to harvesting. However, check the condition of methi leaves
and if necessary allow an extra day or two.
-
Do not water the methi one day prior to
harvesting. The soil will be damp enough to sustain the plants and dry enough
to fall off easily when shedding from the harvested roots
 |
| With plastic bag in 2 liter pot |
-
Lift
the entire plastic bag from the pot and tap the sides of the bag
all around. This will loosen up the
roots from the soil. Place the bag back into the container.
-
Gently pull the methi leaves from the soil
in small bunches. Since the soil has been loosened, the methi
leaves along with roots will come off quite easily. As you pull each bunch,
shake gently to dislodge loose soil from the roots.
This step is optional, and will need to be done if the
soil is wet and does not fall off easily
-
When
all the methi leaves have been pulled out from the soil, hold them together in
a bunch with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. Using your garden
hose, spray water on the roots and leaves separately. Let the washings drop
into a bucket. The process using the
water jet spray ensures that both, leaves and roots are cleaned thoroughly.
-
If a
garden hose & spray jet are not available, the pulled out methi leaves
along with roots can be cleaned by shaking them in water inside a bucket. Transfer the leaves into a second bucket
containing water for a final cleaning by sedimentation of the dirt
The roots can now be cut using a pair of
scissors. The cut off roots can be dropped back into the soil – they will act as
a soil nutrient.
I would like to share my observations on larger lots of harvested Methi
particularly with regard to washing and storage
 |
| Regular production |
A
large lot could be available for more than one session of conversion to
recipes. Storing the methi wet can cause spoilage of methi leaves
Washing
with water must be followed by drying else the retained water on the shoots and
leaves causes deterioration of the yield. A better option is to follow this
sequence
1. A day or two prior to harvesting, depending on the weather, stop
watering the plants, but ensure some
dampness in the soil
2. Pluck out the bunch of the plant along with the roots and shed off
the soil.
3. Cut the roots and retain the plants along with the enmeshed dirt.
Store cool and dry
4. Wash well just before use and consumption
This
saves a lot of time and water
-
-
The
methi leaves are now ready for consumption.
If necessary, a final wash can be done in the kitchen by placing the
leaves in a bowl of water and allowing the extraneous matter to sediment . Skim
the clean and floating Methi from the surface
Once harvesting process is completed,
remember to sow Fenugreek seeds into soil for the next crop and cover with a thin layer of fresh soil
mix. The bulk soil is good to get at least 6 crops of methi, maybe more
Seeds: They are to be bought. Seeds come from
pods on an annular basis, from methi plants grown for this purpose
