Hairy vetch
Cover crop · cool season · also called vetch
When to plant
- Plant in fall, starting about 7 weeks before your first fall frost.
- Ready to harvest about 220 days after planting.
Adds lots of nitrogen. Often sown with cereal rye, which it climbs. Cut when it blooms.
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
Not edible.
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Spacing
- Broadcast
- Soil temperature
- At least 45°F
- Time to harvest
- About 220 days
- Plant family
- Bean and pea family (legumes)
- Seeds keep
- About 3 years
Companions
Keep apart: the onion family (alliums). Onions and garlic can stunt beans and peas.
Keep apart: Sunflower. Sunflowers release compounds that can slow beans.
Pests and problems
Grow it well
Tips
- Plant a cover crop in fall. Sow cereal rye, oats, or crimson clover in empty beds after harvest. The roots hold the soil through winter, and in spring you cut them down to feed the soil.
Hairy vetch seeds on Amazon (opens a new tab)Garden fork on Amazon (opens a new tab)Soil test kit on Amazon (opens a new tab)
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