Hairy Vetch: Cover Up For Winter
Imagine a cover crop that will protect your garden soil from erosion, put nitrogen in the soil, provide organic matter and is winter hardy all the way to Amarillo.
Well, winter or hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) will do all this plus attract bees and other beneficial insects come springtime.
Actually most of the vetches (there are 150 in the genus) will grow in Texas. Hairy vetch is the most winter hardy. It is also the most forgiving of different soil types.
To get the full benefit from this cover crop, plant it September through October in most of Texas. You can broadcast it with a fertilizer spreader or by hand. There is no need to fertilize vetch since it is a legume and actually produces its own nitrogen. Most of its other nutrient needs can be met from the remnants of your spring fertilizer program.
As you get ready to plant your vegetables in the spring just mow strips where you plan to put your new rows, till the vetch into the soil along with other amendments. Be sure to leave several strips or perhaps a border through spring. You will be amazed at the bees, ladybugs and other beneficial insects that are attracted to this plant.
Some gardeners even plant their tomato plants directly in growing vetch and use it as a living mulch and windbreak. The vetch will really protect young tomato plants. Once dead it will help conserve moisture to say nothing of the “free” nitrogen it puts in the soil.
Hairy vetch has a lot to offer. Using it as a cover crop is one of those organic techniques that really works. Look for hairy vetch seed at your local nursery or order by mail from In The Garden, 272 S. Belknap, Stephenville, TX 76401, or call 254-965-3710.
