Garden Glossary

Legume

Horticulture expert Dr. Lelia Kelly defines the gardening term legume. Legumes are plants that are members of the pea family. They have the ability to fix nitrogen in nodules on their roots. Because of this, legumes do not require as much nitrogen fertilizer.

Light/Heavy Feeders

Horticulture expert Dr. Lelia Kelly defines light and heavy feeders. This gardening term refers to the amount of fertilizer and nutrients that a plant requires to grow well. Light feeders don’t need a lot of nutrients in the soil to grow well. Heavy feeders do require the nutrients in the soil and often additional nutrients provided by fertilizer. Most fruiting food crops like tomatoes, fruit trees, and peppers are heavy feeders because they must produce a lot of fruit. Light feeders include many native plants that are conditioned to the native soil and its nutrients.

Loam

Retired MSU Extension Agent Dr. Lelia Kelly defines the gardening term loam. Loam is a desirable type of soil that contains silt, humus, sand, and a small amount of clay. Loam tends to have good drainage and nutrient characteristics.