Cover Crop / Shoulder season

Crimson Clover Cover Crop

Legume cover crop for fallow beds and shoulder-season soil cover.

Grown for cover, flowers, and soil-building use.

Seed spacing and maturity

Days to maturity
90
Germination temperature
50-80F
Seed depth
0.25 inches
Spacing
2 inches
Row spacing
6 inches
Start method
Direct sow

Frost-date timing

Direct sow
on last frost
Fall planting
8 weeks before first frost

Action plan

Can I plant this now?
Use your local last-frost, first-frost, and soil-temperature checks before treating this crop as plantable today.
Start indoors or direct sow?
Direct sow into the final bed when the soil temperature, seed depth, and moisture are ready.
How much space?
2 inches in-row spacing, 6 inches between rows, and 0.25 inch seed depth.
Best companions?
Use this as part of a diverse flowering or herb planting, and treat companion claims as site-specific rather than guaranteed pest control.
Common failure modes?
Terminate before seed set if you do not want volunteers. Moderate moisture during establishment. Well-drained soil; inoculation may be needed where clover is new.

Growing profile

Sun
Full sun
Water
Moderate moisture during establishment.
Soil
Well-drained soil; inoculation may be needed where clover is new.
Watch
Terminate before seed set if you do not want volunteers.
  • cover-crop
  • legume
  • pollinators
  • green-manure

Browse context

Related varieties

Source: Wisconsin Extension cover crops and green manures