Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Clovers ( Legume)
Clovers don't generally produce as much nitrogen as vetch, but they've been used for
hundreds of years, so they must do something right. Bees sure like many varieties. Here are
just a couple of the most universal species. Your garden center should carry what's right for
your area. Towards the end of the summer, you can try seeding clover or another nitrogen-
fixer into a bed before you harvest most of your vegetables.
Red clover ( Trifolium pratense ) is used mostly in the eastern half of North America as a
dependable winter annual, biennial or short-lived perennial (zone 4 and up) that creates a
modest amount of nitrogen. It's not the fastest or biggest grower, but it's one of the best
when it comes to handling a wide range or soil and climate types.
White clover ( Trifolium repens ) is raised as a perennial to hardiness zone 4, although it's
used as a winter annual down south where drought and disease weaken it. It's the typical
living mulch, used year round in orchards and even vegetable gardens. If it were up to me,
it would be used more in ornamental gardens instead of plants like ivy. It stays fairly low at
6-12 inches, tolerates shade, cutting/mowing and foot traffic.
Yellow sweetclover ( Melilotus officinalis ) and white sweetclover ( M. albus ) can grow in
most of North America. It's not a huge nitrogen producer when used as a winter annual, be-
cause it's mostly a biennial, doing much of its nitrogen production in year two. It can,
however, live on infertile soil and survive drought and winter, although it's not a big fan of
really wet soils. It has a taproot to break up compaction, and creates a lot of biomass with
its abundant growth.
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