DESCRIPTION
Growing Alfalfa Cover Crop Garden Seeds
About Alfalfa Cover Crop Garden Seeds
Non-GMO alfalfa seeds are a cool-hardy cover crop intended to be broadcasted directly in early fall for spring tilling, but can be sown in spring as a summer garden companion plant. For more traditional garden harvests or perennial sowing, plant 2-3 alfalfa cover crop seeds ½" deep and 2-3" apart in average, loamy, and well-drained garden soil in full sun. Open-pollinated alfalfa is a traditional cover crop thriving in difficult and depleted soils. Alfalfa seeds germinate in 7-14 days with no thinning necessary. Heirloom Medicago sativa is a tenacious cool-season cover crop annual with no serious pests or diseases. When seeded as a cover crop, mow non-GMO alfalfa before it goes to seed (about when 50% of crop has bloomed), mulching annual alfalfa back into garden soil as "green manure" before planting new seasonal crop. Springtime reseeding of alfalfa will help minimize weeds in the garden and grow space. Non-GMO alfalfa cover crop seed is popularly interseeded as an effective companion plant, insectary, and as nutritiously dense source of animal fodder.
Alfalfa Benefits
Alfalfa is one of the oldest foraging livestock crops cultivated, having been domesticated throughout most of the world for more than 2,000 years. Like other cover crop legumes, non-GMO heirloom alfalfa is populaly grown for its ability to repair damaged soils, prepare uncultivated spaces, loosen soil, minimize weeds, and convert nitrogen from the atmosphere back into the soil. Annual alfalfa is foremost grown foraging crop used to sustain commercial dairy cows, steer, horses, goats, sheep, and rabbits for its boosted protein content, digestible fibers, and reliable yields. Non-GMO alfalfa is currently in its renaissance as a popular grow for human food as a culinary microgreen and sprout used in salads, sandwiches, soups, and juices. Dehydrated alfalfa has also become a popular dietary supplement often sold in the form of pills, capsules, powders, and teas.
ATTRIBUTES
Basic Info
| Latin Name: |
Medicago sativa
|
| Color: |
Seasonal lime greens with lavender and purple blooms |
Growing Info
| Days to Maturity: |
60-70 Days |
| Growth Habit: |
Alfalfa cover crop seeds grow a tenacious 24-36" tall foraging crop with a wheat-like temperament |
Other
| Common Names: |
Lucerne |
| Alfalfa Hardiness Zones: |
Perennial to zones 2-9, Annual cover crop use |
| Alfalfa Seeding Rate: |
.5 lb per 1000 sq. ft |
| Seed Planting Depth: |
Broadcast directly and tamp ½" deep |
| Alfalfa Soil Benefits: |
Restores nitrogen back into depleted soils, breaking up heavy soils dense with clay to improve tilth, drainage, and weed management |
| Grow Temp Preference: |
10-75° F |
| Garden Light Preference: |
Full sun |
| Pests/Diseases/Troubleshooting: |
Non-GMO Medicago sativa is a hardy cool-season cover crop annual with no serious pests or diseases |
| Alfalfa Mow: |
When seeded as a cover crop, mow heirloom alfalfa before it goes to seed, mulching clover back into garden soil before sowing new crop |
