Medicago sativa
Alfalfa, lucerne, Burgundy hay: cultivated for more than two thousand years, alfalfa is nicknamed the “queen of forage plants.” Its roots can reach more than 3 meters deep, a record that explains both its legendary drought resistance and its extraordinary ability to restructure soils.
Characteristics:
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Nitrogen fixer: its root nodules capture nitrogen from the air and accumulate it in the soil, benefiting subsequent crops.
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Exceptional root system: its deep taproot loosens the lower layers of soil and brings up minerals inaccessible to other plants.
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Long-lived perennial: once established, it occupies the ground for several consecutive years.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: sunny.
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Soil: deep, healthy, and above all well-drained, with a clear preference for calcareous soils. A key point: it dislikes acidic soils and wet or compacted ground, where it quickly declines. No nitrogen amendment is needed; it produces its own.
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Method: broadcast-sow directly in place in spring, on finely prepared soil, then roll or firm it down to ensure good contact with the soil. No pots and no pre-soaking. See how to sow your seeds.
Care advice:
- Almost none once established: its taproot draws water from deep underground. As green manure, mow before flowering and leave the cut plants in place or lightly dig them in.
Beneficial pairings:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its purple flowers are highly nectar-rich and particularly popular with bumblebees, the only insects powerful enough to trigger their opening mechanism.
- An alfalfa plot left to flower provides an exceptional refuge for beneficial insects and soil life — see the basics of living soil.
- Its drought resistance makes it an ally for water-wise gardens.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Let a few plants flower and then form their characteristic spiral-coiled pods. Harvest them once they are brown and dry, then remove the seeds. See how to store your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, sort and package them carefully, and use no chemical treatments. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Enrich your soil sustainably with these alfalfa seeds, one of the gardener’s best allies.
