Red clover

[SQWIB]

Can red clover be planted in a raised bed as a nitrogen fixer late in the season like the beginning of July in Zone 7?

[ButterflyLady29]

I don't see why not but why red clover? Crimson clover would work just as well and will get killed off by frost at the end of the season. Or any annual bean or pea would be an effective nitrogen fixer and would not survive your winters. Red clover is a perennial and has to be tilled or pulled to keep it from overrunning next years crops.

[applestar]

I bought crimson clover to try this year -- didn't get around to sowing in spring, but maybe I still could?

Red clover gets knee high with tough root system -- I let them grow just outside the fence or along the boundary between grass and bed. Very popular with the bees so I leave them alone unless they flop over and get stepped on and ugly, or I need some mulching material. I have white clover in some of my beds -- did you know they get HUGE in the favorable conditions? I can hardly believe they are the same as the ones in the mixed lawn. We have yellow sweet clover in the lawn too. Red clover leaves are too big to be in the lawn.

I have a bag of mixed saved pea seeds (These are 2nd pick sizes/conditions -- not for eating or sowing) -- planning to use for covercrop. During the summer, I like to grow buckwheat.

I let alfalfa and vetch grow as nitrogen fixer and let them go to seed and self sow. They are pretty easy to cut down or rip out as necessary. Great for using the vines as hay/mulch.

[SQWIB]

Thanks, I ordered the Crimson Clover and will under sow next week and again in mid August to see how it goes.

[xtron]

ya might consider mixing oats in with the clover. oats puts lots od micro nutriants in the soil as well as some nitrogen. and oats and clover like each other so tend to "feed" each other

[SQWIB]

I cleaned up the beds from the spring crops and planted the Crimson Clover.

This is after 48 hours.


Xtron, is it too late to plant Oats, I read this on another site

The disadvantage to this type of cover crop is that you have to clear the land and plant the cover crop early enough to get significant amounts of biomass to hold the soil over the winter. That could mean cover-cropping only on ground that grew spring vegetables, or it could require undersowing the cover crop in a summer crop such as corn. The big advantages of a winter-killed cover crop is that the mulch is easy to till under in spring, and the land can be planted right away.


Where can I get Oats... Will this work

I have a lot of cats in the neighborhood, will this attract cats?

[xtron]

as a matter of fact, it may be too EARLY to plant oats for a cover crop/winter soil retention.
I usually wait till the last crop on the ground I want covered has come in. since I second cop a lot of my garden, that means the oats is in various stages by the time it has all been planted. if you plant now, the oats will probably have enough time to head...which means you might have a crop of oats to harvest. that would not be a bad thing if you have a use for it...chickens, rabbits or other critters. but if you don't harvest it, you will have oats-as-weeds next year. as long as it has time to sprout and grow roots and leaves, it's done it's job .. helped the soil by putting micro nutrients and nitrogen in, and rooting enough to hold the soil. the main plants will die out after the first hard frost. and if you are no-tilling, the roots are easy enough to sow seed into next spring without haeve tilling
the amazon oat seed you found should work fine ... but ... check with some of your local farm supply stores. they may be able to set you up with more/better/cheaper. check back late summer as many carry deer plot seeding oats. it will keep till next year if oats is hard to find in your area mid summer.
good luck and keep the dirt under your nails

[SQWIB]

as a matter of fact, it may be too EARLY to plant oats for a cover crop/winter soil retention.
I usually wait till the last crop on the ground I want covered has come in. since I second cop a lot of my garden, that means the oats is in various stages by the time it has all been planted. if you plant now, the oats will probably have enough time to head...which means you might have a crop of oats to harvest. that would not be a bad thing if you have a use for it...chickens, rabbits or other critters. but if you don't harvest it, you will have oats-as-weeds next year. as long as it has time to sprout and grow roots and leaves, it's done it's job .. helped the soil by putting micro nutrients and nitrogen in, and rooting enough to hold the soil. the main plants will die out after the first hard frost. and if you are no-tilling, the roots are easy enough to sow seed into next spring without haeve tilling
the amazon oat seed you found should work fine ... but ... check with some of your local farm supply stores. they may be able to set you up with more/better/cheaper. check back late summer as many carry deer plot seeding oats. it will keep till next year if oats is hard to find in your area mid summer.
good luck and keep the dirt under your nails

Awesome, I will definitely add oats Do you think six weeks before the first frost is adequate?

[xtron]

six to 8 weeks would be fine. September October... 10 weeks, or august and you might have enough tine for the oats to head out and maybe even go to seed.
think you will see a difference in next years crop. around here we call oats "first aid for the soil"

don't treat your soil like dirt.

[applestar]

Oooh I'm marking the calendar in my garden journal -- I might do this too.
Thanks @xtron

[SQWIB]

Oats are doing well in a few places.
The birds destroyed my first few attempts so this last batch I covered with cardboard until they were mostly sprouted. May try some more in the other beds as I pull plants.