🎨 AI-generated botanical illustration
🌱 Fonio
Digitaria exilis
grains
annual grass
☀️ Sun
full sun
💧 Water
low (very drought-tolerant)
🗺️ Zones
[8,9,10,11]
🧪 Soil pH
5.0-7.0
🪴 Soil Type
well-drained, sandy, tolerates poor
📏 Spacing
4-6 inches
📐 Height
12-20 inches
⏱️ Maturity
60-70 days
🤝 Companions (5)
🤝 Millet
Both fast-maturing drought-tolerant grains
🤝 Millet
Both fast-maturing drought-tolerant grains; sown together for food security
🤝 Sesame
Companion in Sahel farming systems; sesame attracts pollinators
🤝 cowpea
Traditional West African intercropping — fonio between cowpea rows
🤝 cowpea
Traditional West African intercrop — fonio between cowpea rows
⚠️ Keep Apart (1)
⚠️ none — but tiny seeds need fine seedbed; don't sow among large-seeded crops
📝 Growing Notes
World's fastest-maturing cereal and possibly oldest cultivated grain. Each seed is smaller than a grain of sand. Naturally gluten-free. Nutrient-dense — high in methionine and cysteine (amino acids missing in most grains).
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
Plot Buddies is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. This does not affect our plant recommendations — we only link to retailers we trust.