Cover crops and permanent rows~anyone doing them?

[Beekissed]

Since I'm currently staying with the Ol' Bat(for you newcomers, that is my mother and she actually loves this title ) we will be gardening together this next spring. When I showed her what planting clover in the rows did for my garden, she loved the idea and did the same in her own. This is one idea we will continue with from year to year and have tucked into our permanent garden strategies list.

Here is a pic of the clover I planted the year before and what it looks like to have permanent rows/pathways that are green, that also add to the nitrogen in the soil, retain moisture in the soil, provide ground cover for worm habitat, provide bee nutrition and attracts them to your garden, keeps your shoes clean from mud, chokes out all weeds and provides good graze for any livestock cleaning up your garden at the end of the season:

 

[me&thegals]

Beautiful! Although it appears like the clover is in the raised beds. Am I seeing this wrong?

We plant rye in our walking paths, but I might switch to clover. After a few mowings (gas!), the rye dies out and we develop a weed problem. I've been worried about clover creeping into the permanent beds. What type of clover do you use, and do you have a problem with this?

We use vetch, peas/oats and winter tillage radishes for cover crops, although so much fo the garden is planted for fall that we don't have nearly enough cover cropped.

I'm on a hill also, although not as steep as yours, so I love the cover crops to help prevent erosion during the late fall/early spring rains.

 

[big brown horse]

They are beautiful!

I was wondering the same thing, are they raised up or is that an optical illusion?

 

[Mackay]

Yes, beautiful and worth considering but does the clover spread into your veggie beds? Do you mow it before it goes to seed? can it spread by the root?

 

[Wannabefree]

Looks really nice! I may try to do this next year. I have way too much going on at the moment, and my garden is currently bare :/

 

[BarredBuff]

That'd be good to do. Im still trying to get manure on the garden, I havent really got a lot for it but every little bit helps.

 

[Beekissed]

The clover is just high~not in raised beds....I don't have raised beds in this pic but I do hill up my existing, permanent rows to a raised status, then mulch that raised bed or even plant more clover after that planting is mature enough to not need anymore hilling up.

The clover you see is just White Dutch...I chose it as it grows well in my soils, it doesn't get very high~it will get only a little taller than what you see here, the honeybees will work on it but I've read they won't work the red clover and as you can see, it grows thick enough to choke out any weeds.

When the garden is hilled and mulched, the effect is simply neat, beautiful and clean looking. Plus...everyone thinks I have some fertile garden going on because everywhere you look is green, when most people have brown between their rows.

The clover fixes nitrogen in the soil...right where I need it most.

 

[daver]

Wow Bee!!

We have a lot of clover in our yard. I just this week looked for the benefits and am very impressed. Just as you stated.

I built our coop and run right over a patch and you know what happened to that. This afternoon I let our chicks out and confirmed a going to bed pattern.
Clover munch, hit the excess sand pile, hit the feeder in the pen, get a drink and hit the roost.

I have been toying with the idea of broadcasting clover seed through out the back area where the chicks forage. And with so many other benefits, why not?

 

[big brown horse]

Very nice. I need to get some of this white dutch clover since I'm getting bees early this spring. I have a nice big bee garden right now full of perennial bee loving flowers. However I can increase their food by using this method between my veggie rows. Thanks!

 

[Lesa]

I already copied you! I saw those great pics and planted crimson clover all along my fence line in the big garden. It is just sprouting right now- so I hope it will winter over. Haven't graduated to the aisles yet, but I am moving my way there. Thanks for the inspiration!