Thanks for the question from David Tilton.
Velvet bean seeds are quite large and are best planted into the soil. We planted ours with a Haraka planter, a type of jab planter that places the seeds into the soil as it is rolled along. Our sandy soil is quite soft, so it put the seed down into the soil quite easily–down to a depth of 2 cm or more.
We planted at a spacing 50 (between-row) X 20 (in-row) cm. That comes out to a density of 10 seeds per square meter if I’m not mistaken (.5 m X 0.2 m/seed = 0.1 m2/seed). With this spacing the leaf canopy of the velvet bean plants covered the soil quite quickly.
In the tropics, cover crop residues are often left on the soil surface to protect the ground from the effects of intense heat. In temperate areas the vines are often incorporated into the soil. Stacy Swartz covered the two approaches in a lot of depth in a conversation about no-till farming. Click here for a link to what she wrote.
Thanks again and we’re always eager to hear of your experience.