100 Seeds Hairy Vetch Vicia villosa Nitrogen Fixing Cover Crop

Hairy Vetch is a vigorous cool-season annual legume widely valued as a cover crop for its rapid growth, sprawling vining habit, and abundant purple flowers. It establishes quickly in fall, forms a dense mat that helps shade out winter weeds, and adds valuable organic matter to the soil when turned under in spring. Its feathery foliage and clustered blooms also make it an attractive addition to meadow and pollinator plantings. Hairy vetch is versatile in the garden and landscape, functioning as a green manure, a living mulch, and a companion in crop rotation systems. It is commonly sown in fall for overwintering or in early spring in colder regions, and it can be terminated by mowing or tilling before seed set. The flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects, while the extensive root system helps improve soil structure and reduce erosion on bare ground.
Species: Vicia villosa
Variety: Hairy Vetch
Type: Cool-season annual legume
Plant_Habit: Sprawling, vining, climbing
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Well-drained loam; tolerates a range of soil types
Days_to_Harvest: Not applicable
Zones: 3-8
Germination: 7-14 days
Sowing: Direct sow in fall or early spring, 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep
Spacing: Broadcast at 20-30 seeds per square foot or drill in rows 6-8 inches apart
Notes: Excellent nitrogen-fixing green manure and erosion control cover crop