Wednesday 19th August 2020
Ah clover. This humble 3 (or sometimes 4!) leafed miracle worker is one of our favourite and most hard-working plants in the valley!
We plant clover as part of our herbal grass leys for many reasons. It helps improve soil health and also provides additional nutrients for our cows.
Organic standards mean we can’t use a chemical nitrogen fertilizer even if we wanted to. Clover is considered a nitrogen fixing plant, meaning that it will pull nitrogen from the air and channel it into the soil through their root systems so that our crops and grass can use it to grow.
Clover also has a long root that can grow deep into the soil, pulling nutrients from deep in the soil that other plants can’t reach.
By growing clover, our soil gets a lovely injection of extra nutrients and our cows get a tasty addition to their grass salads.
So, the next time you’re searching for a lucky 4 leaf clover, remember just how clever that clover really is!
I can remember as a child in the 1940s when all the fields and woods were full of wild flowers but then the chemical companies came over and changed so much – shame.
Now fortunately we have a growing number of intelligent people making an effort to educate the younger generation. Well done.
The clover in my patch is alive with bees in the summer. No bare feet for me!
Thanks Yeo Valley, I never knew that! Keep up the good work. Lyn
On my parents’ farm in North Wales my Dad used to plant clover in fallow fields so that the following year he would have good crop yields. All the farmers in the area used to do the same. We didn’t call it Organic then it was just standard practice. We could only let the cattle into those fields for a little while as they would overeat the clover ( they loved it, it was a pleasure watching their behaviour when they were allowed into those fields ).
Good article. Many thanks.
Thank you for reminding me not to pull out the abundant clover that seems to find a home in all my pots!!
Sometimes, even though we have a deep bedded knowledge, it takes a reminder to bring that knowledge back to the front of the mind.
I think growing clover ion my garden might just help it improve my plants.