Growing Lentils in Australia: The Complete Guide
Lentils is an easy legume to grow, needing full sun with low–moderate watering.
We get asked about lentils often enough that it's worth setting out the full picture here, beyond what fits on our printable card.
Nitrogen fixers
A low, bushy legume that's easy to grow at a small scale — worthwhile on a homestead less for yield efficiency and more for the soil-building benefit and the novelty of home-grown lentils.
Planting Lentils
Method — direct sow, fairly dense. Soil — well-drained, even poor soil is tolerated. Timing — sow in the cooler months.
Keeping It Growing Well
A few things matter most here:
- Water lightly and consistently while establishing.
- Weed while young — low growth is easily outcompeted.
- Avoid excess nitrogen fertiliser, which grows leaf over pods.
- Leave roots in place after harvest for the nitrogen benefit.
Problems to Watch For
The key things to get right:
- Fungal rot — humid, wet conditions; ensure good airflow and drainage.
- Aphids — occasional cluster on tips; hose off.
- Poor pod set — heat stress; grow in the cooler months.
- Bird damage to seedlings — net if pressure is high.
Picking and Keeping Your Harvest
Signs — pods dry and rattle, plants yellow. Method — pull whole plants and thresh once fully dry. Curing — dry thoroughly before storing. Storage — airtight, cool, dark — keeps well over a year dried.
That's the full picture behind lentils. The printable A4 version of this guide — with the quick-reference gauges and diagram in one page — is available on the main guide page below.