Growing Fenugreek Leaves in my Balcony Garden in Germany- My Experience

From mid-April, the weather starts getting mild in Germany. Although the night temperatures are still low, touching single digits, the day temperatures range between 18-20 degrees C. This is the best time to start gardening. Every year, in my terrace garden, I grow something or the other, ranging from fruits and vegetables to herbs and flowers.

In these years, I have come to learn that growing herbs are the easiest and require the least amount of effort. In this article, I shall share what I learned about growing Fenugreek leaves ( Methi) in my balcony garden.

What is Fenugreek?

Fenugreek is a slightly bitter herb commonly used in Indian cooking as dried seeds, roasted seed powder, fresh leaves, and dry leaves.

After harvesting, the stems are discarded, and the fresh leaves are used to make many dishes. For harvesting the seeds, the plant is allowed to mature. As it matures, it starts growing small pods, inside which you will find seeds. The pods are plucked, and the seeds are removed and dried.

Best weather conditions to grow fenugreek:

Fenugreek grows best in a slightly shaded area with warm temperatures between 15 degrees C and 30 degrees C. Identify a partially covered spot in your garden or terrace where you get full sunlight. Keep the plant there. The shade will protect the plant’s stem from becoming very hard and leaves from premature yellowing.

Growing Fenugreek in my terrace garden in Germany-My Experience

Three basic things are needed to grow Fenugreek:

1. Seeds: You can get them in any Indian shop. You can use the same seeds that you use for cooking. ( Also available here)
2. Soil: Soil appropriate for growing herbs is called Kräutererde in German. It is readily available in Garden Shops and some supermarkets. (Also available here)
3. Pot: 7-8 inches deep is good enough for growing Fenugreek. I usually use a rectangular pot with the following measurements: 7” wide, 7” deep, and 30” long. You can easily get them in any garden shop (Also available here).

In addition, you need to:

1. Water the plant every day.
2. Place it in a location where you get sunlight but is a slightly shaded area.

Sowing & Caring:

I usually start around the 15th of April every year, when the day temperatures are regularly in double digits ( 13 degrees and upwards). Here are the steps I take:

1. I fill the pot with soil up to 3/4 the height.
2. I scatter the seeds roughly 1 cm away from the other.

3. Then, I cover them with about 2 inches of soil.

4. I sprinkle water all over the soil’s surface and kept the pot in the sun.

From the following day, I regularly water the plant, ensuring that enough water reaches the seeds but does not excessively wet the soil. Note: Be gentle while watering, as a heavy water flow can uproot the germinating seeds.

If you follow the above-mentioned steps, you will see small sprouts in about ten days. I continued watering about 1- 1 1/2 litres of water every day.

The plant usually likes this around 15th May. At this time, the day temperature was already close to 25 degrees, so I moved the pot to a shaded area on my terrace. At this point, the height of the stems is close to 3-4 inches.

Typically, around the 30th of May, I am able to make my first harvest. At this point, the height of each stem is close to 7-8 inches.

Steps for Harvesting:

1. Gently pull out the plant with the roots.

2. Then, remove the weeds that have grown.

3. Then, remove some of the soil and replace it with fresh soil (unused).

Now, the soil is ready to be used again. Follow the same steps for your next batch.

After discarding the stems, you should be able to get about 4-5 cups of leaves.

I have also observed that as the summer progresses, I am able to harvest a batch of fenugreek leaves every month, as opposed to 1.5 months in the beginning. Therefore, after my first harvest at the end of May, I am usually able to have successful harvests by the end of June, July, August, September, and October. From November, the temperatures fall and are not suitable for this plant.

There are many recipes you can try with fresh fenugreek leaves, such as Aalu Methi Sabzi, Methi Ka Thepla, Methi Chicken Sandwich, Multigrain Methi Parantha, and Lassoni Methi.

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