Organic Crimson Clover - Trifolium incarnatum

Organic Crimson Clover is an annual herbaceous plant that grows up to 60 cm (24in) tall and produces beautiful red flowers. It is cultivated as a green manure. It is sown in empty areas of the vegetable garden as a cover crop. It covers the soil, enriches it, and improves its structure. In addition to its improving qualities, it is a very useful plant for pollinators. It can also be used as fodder. It can be sown in spring or autumn and should be cut when it starts flowering. 300 grams are enough to cover 120 m2.

Green manure crops are buried to enrich and fertilise the soil. They improve the soil structure and provides humus and nitrogen, as well as eliminating or reducing weeds. Crimson clover is sown by broadcasting the seeds and lightly covering them. It should be mowed as soon as its vegetation is sufficiently developed, and should not be allowed to go to seed. It can be mowed using a lawn mower and incorporated into the soil with a spade or a rototiller. This variety is the double or perpetual type, which is less long-lasting than the single type, but more productive as it can be cut "over and over" - 2 to 3 times per year.

Crimson Clover belongs to the Fabaceae family and enriches the soil by capturing atmospheric nitrogen in nodules located on its roots. This nitrogen is returned to the soil after burial. Crimson clover is more suitable for acidic soils than for alkaline soils. It can be sown in spring to be cut at flowering, or at the end of summer in August to September to be cut the following year in May.

Gardener's tip: Hoe and weed. If there are some plants that have gone to seed, the vegetable garden will be invaded by them the following year, so cut the flower stems as soon as flowering ends.