Cover Crops for Vegetable Growers
Newsletter articles
Early summer
Mid and
late summer
Late summer
legumes
Early fall
Fall
Early spring
Cover crop information
Buckwheat
Annual
ryegrass
Oats
Wheat (includes
spelt, triticale)
Rye
Sudangrass
Reed Canarygrass
Arugula
Mustard, spring
Mustard, fall
Forage
Radish
Forage Turnips
Red
clover
Hairy
Vetch
Field Peas
White
Clover
Hairy vetch Click to download printable
PDF
file
Hairy
vetch is a winter hardy annual legume. It is one of
the best nitrogen fixers and is reported to be more efficient
at
nitrogen fixation than peas . This makes it useful in
vegetable
crop rotations. Since it is slow to establish it is generally sown with
a nurse crop. Once established Hairy vetch is good at weed suppression
and soil conditioning.Land preparation
Prepare a well drained seed bed free of weeds and clumps of soil. Hairy vetch performs poorly on compacted soils.
It has high P and K requirements. Test soil for available P 40 lb/ac and K 120 lb/ac.
Hairy vetch will tolerate a wide range of pH.
Seeding rate
Drilled 15-20 lb/ac. Drilling is preferred for uniformity
Broadcast 25-40 lb/ac
When seeding with a winter rye nurse crop, sow 20-30 lb/ac hairy vetch and 70 lb/ac winter rye.
When seeding with an oats nurse crop in late summer, sow 40 lb/ac hairy vetch and 80 lb/ac oats.
Seeding date
Late August through September.
Seed sources
Local farm seed dealers, Ernst Conservation Seeds
Maintenance
None
Control
Mow or crimp at flowering, in late May, to kill without herbicide. Since most N fixation occurs in May earlier control is not usually desirable. Incorporation will also control hairy vetch. Hairy vetch can become a weed problem if allowed to go to seed. Do not use in rotation with small grain because the hard seed of vetch will germinate in later years and contaminate the grain.
Tips
It is slow to establish and often needs a nurse crop. Wait a minimum of three years before another legume crop is planted because hairy vetch supports root rot and lesion nematodes. Root rot is not aggravated however when hairy vetch is planted in combination with small grains. Hairy vetch can serve as an alternate host for white mold.
More information on hairy vetch is in the article on late summer legumes.
