Are Lentils Grown Underground?

Description

• An elegant legume with an erect to semi-erect growth habit, lentils grow above ground on a single stem or a cluster of stems, with delicate tendrils that reach skyward. When planted close together, lentils appear bushy. At blossoming, white, pale blue or lilac flowers are surrounded by bifoliate, light-green leaves. Each flower matures into a pod with one or two seeds tucked into it. While the seeds are sometimes eaten green at roughly 70 to 80 days, it can take up to 110 days for pods to produce the dry, hard seeds typically sold in stores. Depending on the cultivar, seeds can be mottled black, purple, tan or brown.

Growth Profile

• Grown by farmers as a grain legume primarily in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, lentils thrive in areas with limited rainfall. Backyard gardeners can successfully grow lentils during the cool temperatures of early spring, in well-drained soils. Although lentils prefer even soil moisture levels until their pods begin drying out, waterlogged soil can kill the plants. Like other legumes, lentils do best when inoculated with rhizobacteria before planting. The bacteria help nitrogen to concentrate on the root nodules of the plant. When the root sloughs off the nitrogen into the soil, it becomes available to the lentil as a natural fertilizer.

Growing Tips

• To see lentils growing up close, try your hand at a small crop. Several weeks before the last frost, plant lentil seeds 1 1/2 inches deep in a raised bed or in well-drained soil. Allow 1 inch between seeds and 24 inches between rows. Maintain even soil moisture during germination. Lentils compete poorly with weeds – consider tucking a thick layer of mulch around the seedlings to both conserve soil moisture and to deter weed growth. When seedlings are at least 2 inches tall, thin them to every 4 to 5 inches. While lentils don’t like growing next to onions or garlic, cucumbers and potatoes are good companion plants. Sow four to eight lentil plants per person.

Pests and Diseases

• Typically free of major diseases, lentils can be afflicted by white mold and root rot in overly moist conditions. You can combat this by selecting disease-resistant seeds, increasing the distance between plants to allow for better air circulation and rotating crops to prevent disease buildup in the soil. Lentils typically suffer no major insect problems. If aphids begin to colonize the undersides of leaves, a sturdy spray of water usually dislodges them. If weevils attack your crop, pinch back and destroy the affected area.