Sweet lupins

Plant family

Legumes (Fabaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Dry

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

High

Plant distance

50 cm

Row spacing

50 cm

Seeding depth

3 cm

Instructions

Description

Sweet lupine is a cultivated form of lupine, which is not poisonous or bitter and therefore edible. The plant is an annual and reaches a height of 80-100 cm. The pale blue flower appears in June and blooms until mid-July. The plants form a taproot, which can grow over a meter long. Thus, nutrients also reached deeper regions of the soil. Most importantly, the soil is deeply loosened. Therefore, lupins are also used for green manuring. Tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, mustard, lamb's lettuce and barbary cress are suitable as follow-on crops. Some people are allergic to lupins, especially people who are allergic to other legumes such as peanuts. The seeds of the lupine contain a lot of protein. In Central Europe, the yellow lupine (Lupinus luteus), the blue or narrow-leaved lupine (Lupinus angustifolius), and the white lupine (Lupinus albus) are especially cultivated for their seeds. Insect pollination. Look for designated seed for sweet lupins.

Growing tips

Only blue lupins can be sown from mid-March. The other varieties are more sensitive to cold. Do not use your own seeds, as other lupin varieties can cross-pollinate and the new plants then produce bitter substances that make the seeds poisonous! It is best to sow the seeds in a broad clump and rake them in lightly. The seeds should be covered with about 2-3 cm of soil. Keep moist for the next week. Germination takes place within 10 days. You will need about 100 lupin seeds to create a small field of 1 m². The seed pods ripen in August. Around 5-6 seeds develop in each pod. They are ripe as soon as the pods are light brown and burst open when lightly pressed. The seeds only need to be left to dry for a few days and then sealed in a jar. Dried lupin seeds can be stored for over 2 years. The storage location should be cool, dark and dry. Observe crop rotation.