Albert Lea Seed House 2018 Cover Crop Seed Guide | Page 10

Nitrogen-Fixing
Cool Season Cover Crops
Hairy Vetch*
Winter annual, viney cover crop legume with purple
blossoms and compound leaves. Exceptional biomass;
can be a heavy N-fixer (up to 100+ lbs N/acre at
flowering). Improves soil structure, scavenges P, and
competes well against early season weeds. Can winterkill
if planted past recommended dates.
• Best fall-planted legume for nitrogen fixation
• Companion seed with oats, winter rye or another nurse
crop to increase chances of winter survival
• Produces hard seed; control plant before seed set
Do not seed vetch into small grains if harvesting
for marketable grain. Vetch seed is hard to
separate from small grains
• Very viney: can clog equipment
Conventional_____________ $1.50/lb

$75/50 lb bag
Organic_________________ $2.00/lb

$100/50 lb bag
Purple Bounty Hairy Vetch
• Winterhardy, early maturing hairy vetch from USDA
• Selected for high nitrogen fixation potential and
increased biomass
• Flowers two weeks earlier than common hairy
vetch making it ideal for Upper Midwest rotations
Organic_________________ $2.20/lb

$110/50 lb bag
Chickling Vetch*
• Viney, spring-seeded cover crop legume used for