permaculture

[Robyn Francis <robyn@permaculture.com.au>]

I live in humid subtropics and have some winter frosts. 

The legumes I've had greatest success with are:

Perennial pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) great shrub legume, can plant quite 
closely, terrific chop-and-drop spp to build up mulch, and nurse plant for 
establishing other trees. Is affected by severe frost, however if densely 
planted they send out new shoots from lower stem and branches in spring. 
Nodulate prolifically so good N-fixers. Only live 3-4 years.

Trees: 
Tipuanu tipu - grows well but can grow quite large - I have these as an 
emergent canopy over my subtropical food forest. See a rare volunteer 
seedling popping up here and there, but are not invasive - or maybe the 
wallabies keep them in check.

Albizzia julibrissin are great smaller tree legume and very frost hardy (seen 
them growing in Europe) and have had no evidence of self seeding or invasive 
potential here.

Cow pea as a summer annual legume are quite prolific.

 I don't recommend using dolichos or desmodium app (too invasive), also honey 
locust is a shocking weed in our climate here where folk have grown it - 
spreads prolifically especially along water courses as an impenetrable 
vicious thorny thicket. I've also eliminated Inga edulis as a tree legume in 
my system, it self seeds prolifically and the birds and fruit bats spread 
seed into nearby rainforest areas.

Have you looked into Tagasaste (Chamaecytisus palmensis) ? It doesn't like 
our heavy clay but grows well in more sandy soils in subtropics and temperate 
areas.

Robyn


On 18/10/2012, at 11:05 PM, Cory Brennan wrote:

>  Just found this resource for nitro fixing fodder legumes, wonderful! 
> http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Publicat/Gutt-shel/x5556e00.htm#Contents
> 
> Would love to hear back from people on experience with legumes in any 
> climate similar to Florida - sugar sand soils, sometimes extreme wet/dry, 
> temperatures hot, humid in summer, often freezing in winter (down to 15 
> degrees or below in many areas). I am looking to plant many fast growing 
> multi use legume trees and want to make sure I am picking the best 
> varieties. Leucaena, gliricidia, sesbania, are considered "invasive" in 
> Florida. I am trying to find info on less invasive cultivars (though I 
> agree with Toby Hemenway's assessments on "opportunists" I hesitate to be 
> the one to personally bring thousands of opportunist trees into this 
> relatively delicate ecosystem). Leucaena lan (I believe this is lanceolata) 
> is considered not invasive but I have not found any of this cultivar. 
> 
> The native sweet acacia has gnarly thorns but is beautiful and works well 
> where thorns are not a problem. 
> 
> What experience do people have with the non nodulating nitro fixers like 
> cassia, etc, as far as actually putting nitrogen into the soils? I have not 
> used them enough to really know how they do. 
> 
> On a different note, I'm still trying to determine the nitro fixing 
> capabilities of gleditsia triacanthos in temperate climates. 
>  
> Koreen Brennan
> 
> www.growpermaculture.com
> www.facebook.com/growpermaculturenow
> www.meetup.com/sustainable-urban-agriculture-coalition
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