Growing Magical Moringa

Why is it magical? It has health benefits that are truly impressive. 

Besides Vitamins A, E, and C (ounce for ounce it has six times the amount of Vitamin C than in orange juice) it also has five times more beta-carotene than carrots, three times the iron than is found in spinach or beef, and four times more calcium than found in milk! But what is truly magical about this tree is that it’s one of the most nutritious superfoods on the planet and also has an amazing ability to purify water. Moringa seeds can reduce muddiness in water by up to 99.5 % and can also cut bacteria by as much a 99%.

Moringa is incredibly easy to grow. The seeds will grow in almost any environment but love heat, so will become an annual in cooler climates and is ideal for zones 9 - 10. It does well in all sorts of soil, however if your soil is heavy clay it’s best to give these seeds the best start possible. Dig a hole about 6 to 12 inches deep and amend your heavy soil with lighter compost about half and half.

Plant the seeds approximately 1/2 inch deep in groups of 3 and keep the surface damp but don’t water heavily as the seeds may rot. You’ll see those seedlings begin to emerge anywhere from 7 - 21 days so be patient. This tree can grow up to 16’ in the first six months! It has an upright position and doesn’t take much space overall and is great for offering shade in the garden. If you want to harvest the leaves you can top the tree off at whatever height you wish and it will bush out like a shrub.

These trees have a very aggressive tap root for a good reason. That tap root will descend to deeper levels in the soil in order to bring up all the available nutrients that make it such a marvelous superfood.

In cooler climates you can cut this tree down to the ground in the fall and it will regrow in the spring! What could be more magical than that? 

So grow your own moringa and reap all the many benefits this plant provides! You can find the seeds by following this link: moringa