Where to Buy Tagasaste Seeds in the US?

Does anyone here grow Tagasaste (Tree Lucerne) and have seeds they'd like to sell, or know where I could buy some in the US? I don't want to illegally import anything from another country and risk bringing in some disease or pest that doesn't belong on this continent. I've been reading about Tagasaste for years, and am surprised that none of the seed websites I have looked on have it.

A general idea of what part of the world you are located in since you don't want to "import from another country" might help locate seeds for you.

Seeds grown in your general location are usually best suited for your climate.

We're now living in Texas. I did mention that I'm looking for seeds in the US. Anywhere in the US is fine with me I'd prefer ones grown nearby, but in this case, I'm not sure if I can afford to be choosy.

Sorry I missed the part about the US.

This article mentions Pure Luck Dairy in Dripping Springs.

Dripping Springs is in Texas so maybe you could contact them and arrange to buy some seeds.

https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/fs19-312/

Thank you! I actually emailed the folks at Pure Luck and received a nice email back this morning. Coincidentally, they referred me to Kym Orrick, who posted here on Permies a year or more ago, and he used to import these seeds (with a legal USDA permit). He is in Texas as well. So I was able to email him through his website. So we shall see! I really want to try these out here, so am pursuing every avenue I can find. There is another goat dairy in California that mentions growing them for their goats, so if nothing else pans out, I will get in touch with them. And if that doesn't work, I will email anyone who mentions growing tagasaste on their blogs and see if they have seed.

We recently moved to central Texas from the Big Island of Hawaii, so I am looking for temperate alternatives to the tropical leguminous perennials I used to grow, to feed my diary goats, and for green manure, etc. I'm going to try sunn hemp and pigeon peas in the summer, but I know they will die off in the winter here. Tagasaste seems like it could be a great option to help us through the winter with less reliance on purchased alfalfa pellets. I also have some pasture mixes and soil-builder cover crop mixes I will try in the pastures, but I just love having some fast-growing, protein-rich shrubs or trees I can cut branches from and hang on the fence for them to eat off of, especially if tagasaste will continue to grow nicely on the warm days, between frosts, that we've had for most of this winter.

Welcome to Texas!

I am in the Hill Country almost next to West Texas.  I used to live in Central Texas and still own property there.

Do goats eat Moringa?  I believe it might grow here depending on how south you are.

Thank you! We are about halfway between Austin and College Station. I've been wanting to drive west of Austin for sight-seeing, but we have been so busy getting settled and getting things established here that we just haven't made it so far. Plus I have little kids, so any car trips are just a huge production. I think the farthest west I've been so far has been Blanco. I liked it a lot, but after living on top of solid lava in Hawaii for so long, I wanted SOIL, and not rocky soil. I love that I can just dig a hole with a shovel here when I want to plant a tree. It feels like such a luxury. The soil here does not seem very rich, but I am just happy to have something to work with and I can improve it.

Goats would most likely eat moringa. I had forgotten about that one. I had tried growing it in Hawaii, but it was too wet in the particular area where I was and it did not grow well.

Vetiver.org
Vetiver is deep rooted, will get to subsoil moisture after established. Goats will eat it at any stage. Cattle will only eat newer growth, 2 months or less because of small serrated edges.

Lila, have you been able to source seeds?  I'm in search too!

Amber Rob wrote:Lila, have you been able to source seeds?  I'm in search too!

Yes, I was able to buy some from Kym Orrock. I don't know if they have any more. If you send me a private message, I can give you the email address. If you can't get them through Kym, I could probably sell you some of mine to get you started.

Or actually, here is the website. Click "contact us" at the top and there will be a contact form you can use to ask if they have any left.  https://orrocktrading.com/tagasaste

I have contacted this person to see if they have more seeds. Thank you for this lead! Have you started yours? Ruth

Yes, I did start some this spring. They were not nearly as hard to germinate as I expected them to be, and the little plants grew well. Unfortunately, we had a brutally hot, dry summer here in Texas and I couldn't keep everything alive. My tagasaste seedlings were some of the casualties, through no fault of their own. I have plenty more seeds though, and will start some more this spring.

To scarify them, I first clipped them as shown in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzoVFAAJChk&t=99s and then soaked them overnight in hot water. Not boiling water, just hot water from the tap, which of course cooled overnight. Then I planted them in potting soil mixed with sandy soil from our yard. I did not count how many I planted versus how many sprouted, but I did get the impression that germination was pretty high this way.

Lila Stevens,
I'm not sure how to private message on here but I would love to purchase Tagasaste tree seeds from you or whomever you know that sells them.. My email is survivalhomesteadteachingfarm@gmail.com in case this helps contact me.