Lupinus angustifolius is a species of lupine known by many common names, including narrowleaf lupine and blue lupine. It is native to Eurasia and northern Africa, and it is naturalized in parts of Australia and North America. It is cultivated in Australia, Europe, Russia, and the Americas as a food crop, a high protein additive, green manure, livestock fodder and as a grazing plant,

Lupins are erect, branching plants that sometimes exceed one metre tall. With distinctive palmate leaves that divided into five to nine linear leaflets, they bear many flowers usually in shades of blue, occasionally violet, pink, or white. The fruit is a pod containing seeds which vary in colour from dark grey, brown or white which can sometimes be speckled or mottled.

Green manuring with lupins increases soil nitrogen and organic matter over extended periods. Lupins fix the highest amount of nitrogen in the Legume family (25% more than clovers and 28% more than peas and beans.)For maximum soil improvement, lupins should be managed with the entire growth being turned under prior to full bloom.

Where areas aren’t required for crops or bedding or if you simply plan to give a garden bed a rest, Lupins can be used on land set-aside to attract beneficial insects and improve bee forage in the spring and summer while acting as a green manure for future crops.

This seed is organically produced (seed harvested from plants that have themselves been raised organically, without the use of chemicals) and has been certified by The Organic Trust.
The Organic Trust provides organic certification of the highest integrity to all sectors of the organic market, so you can be assured of its authenticity.

As a Green Manure:
Like most members of the legume family, Lupins can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere fertilizing the soil for other plants; this adaptation allows lupins to be tolerant of infertile soils and capable of pioneering change in barren and poor quality soils.

Legumes have long been recognized and valued as "soil building" crops. Growing legumes as a green manure improves soil quality through their beneficial effects on soil biological, chemical and physical conditions. When properly managed, legumes will:

• Enhance the Nitrogen-supplying power of soils
• Increase the soil reserves of organic matter
• Stimulate soil biological activity
• Improve soil structure
• Reduce soil erosion by wind and water
• Increase soil aeration
• Improve soil water-holding capacity
• Make the soil easier to till

Growing legumes can increase the yield of succeeding crops in the rotation. This benefit, called the ‘rotation effect’, is due to more than just an increase in high nitrogen crop residue.
The rotation effect includes improved physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil, resulting in reduced duration and severity of attacks by diseases and insect pests.

Sowing Period: March to July
Soil Type: Light sandy acid soils
Growing Period: 2 to 4 months
Flowering period: Summer.
Qualities: Lifts Nitrogen. Soil improver Bee plant.
Coverage: 22kg per acre.100gm covers 18sq metres

Sowing: March to July
Prepare the soil by removing weeds, digging over if it hasn't been recently cultivated and raking level.
Sow from March to June 4cm deep in rows 15cm (6in) apart with 4cm (1½in) between plants. Plant no deeper than 5cm (2in) into the soil. Make sure the seed is in firm contact with the soil by gently raking over the surface with the back of a spade. Water in well.
Lupins are a slow starter. They take two to three months between germination and flowering. It takes approximately a month from the time of seedling emergence for the nodules to form on the roots and begin fixing nitrogen. Cut down the plants before flowers are open, otherwise lupins will self seed.

The full nitrogen supplying potential of the Lupin can be harnessed by incorporating the crop at the first pod stage. At this time the nitrogen concentration is at its highest and the top growth is succulent and decomposes rapidly, resulting in a flush of nitrogen mineralization.

Don’t forget !
Rotate green manures as you would any other crop. For example - Rotate Lupin and Alfalfa, with Peas/Beans, Mustard and Fodder Radish with Brassicas

Plant Uses:
Green Manure/Cover Crop/Set-aside, Bee Plant, Butterfly Garden, Wildflower Gardens or Wildlife Gardens, Cottage/Informal Garden, Flower Arranging.

Nomenclature:
The name 'Lupin' derives from the Latin word 'lupinus' (meaning wolf), and was given with regard to the fact the peas, which appear after the flowering period were said to be fit only for the consumption of wolves.
The legume seeds of lupins, commonly called lupin beans, were popular with the Romans, who spread the plant's cultivation throughout the Roman Empire; hence common names like lupini in Romance languages.
Lupin beans are commonly sold in a salty solution in jars (like olives and pickles) and can be eaten with or without the skin. Lupins are also cultivated as forage and grain legumes.