Nitrogen fixers are great helpers for those who want to grow food for themselves naturally. When we observe the nature closely, we see many different volunteer nitrogen fixers in a healthy ecosystem. We can group them into short-term, mid-term, and long-term according to their lifespans. Example for a short-term annual plant is white clover. Mid-term plants such as pigeon peas live from 3 to 5 years. Long-term plants such as Ice Cream Bean (Inga Edulis) live 5 years or longer.
On my homestead, I have all these three plants mentioned above. My Ice Cream Bean plants are in their second year now and have not produced ice cream yet. Therefore, my favorite nitrogen fixer so far is Pigeon Pea.
Pigeon Pea is an excellent choice for the third permaculture design principle 'Obtain A Yield' - you can't work on an empty stomach. While serving the role of nitrogen fixer to enrich the soil, they produce abundantly for us in just a few months after planting from the seeds and will continue to produce for up to 5 years. Pigeon Pea is one element having multiple functions in a permaculture design.
One Element Multifunction of Pigeon Pea
- Nitrogen fixer - add nitrogen to the soil for other plants to use.
- Obtaining a yield - you can't work on an empty stomach.
- Aesthetic - they are beautiful just like ornamental shrubs so you can plant them in the front yard where growing annual vegetables is not permitted in some cities.
- Perennial - plant them once every 3-5 years to reduce labor and disturb no soil life.
- Great taste - they are not only beautiful but also taste delicious.
This one is hanging over the fence into my neighbor's yard. Look how abundantly the peas are!
The same plant but on my side of the fence
A green variety
A closer look
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