What it is
Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria juncea) is in the Fabaceae (Legume) family. A fast tropical legume that produces huge biomass and nitrogen in a single hot summer. Not for eating.
How to grow it
It wants full sun, water it low, and give it tolerant soil. Target a soil pH around 5.0–7.5. Space plants about Broadcast apart. Expect roughly Summer cover. Warm-season annual.
How it's used
Sunn Hemp is used: cover crop only.
🔎 How to identify it
- Narrow simple leaves
- Tall slender stems
- Yellow pea flowers
Not for eating
Grown for the garden, soil, or pollinators — not as food.
🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.