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Red Clover
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Jude
Help your August plants bloom bright and beautiful!
Here's what's ahead:
Getting Started
Quick tips at a glance:
Germination temperature: 2-3°C
Seed depth: 0.2 cm (light germinator)
Germination time: 6–8 days
Plant spacing: 10–15 cm
Row spacing: 20 cm
Root depth: 20 cm
Sowing outdoors: February – September (too warm in the house)
Flowering: April – October
Feeding type: light feeder
Manure. Not such a sexy topic. Certainly not one you would think would provide the ideal intro to this beautiful red clover flower, right?
Get ready to have your mind blown.
If you've heard of "green manure" before, perhaps you know that farmers and crafty gardeners can grow certain plants in their fields and beds to loosen the soil, enrich it with nutrients and provide a protective layer of mulch for the winter. One of these plant-superstars is the red clover, which not only has deep roots, but also binds nitrogen and nodule bacteria in the air together and stores it in the earth. That way, other plants can access it and thus deliver the best harvest yields.
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Sowing
For sowing outdoors loosen the surface of the soil and remove weeds before you put your seed paper in.
Tear your seed paper into small pieces.
Make sure you leave enough space between the pieces of paper, and that you set them face down in the soil.
You don't need to sprinkle too much soil over the seeds – a thin layer of 0.2 cm is enough, otherwise, the red clover cannot germinate.
Now all you have to do is water the seeds regularly to prevent them from drying out.
The same applies to cultivation in a pot: regular watering is mandatory.
Use organic garden soil for this cultivation method, so you can eat the red clover later without hesitation.
It is important to make sure your pot is deep enough: With its long taproots of around 20 cm, your red clover does not want to grow tall, but deep into the earth!
Transplanting
If your red clover seedlings are too close together, you will have to prick them out so that they have enough room to grow.
A distance of 20 cm is ideal for seeds in a bed, but it can be a little less if you're planting in a pot.
When pricking, you carefully lift the seedlings out of the soil with a pricking stick.
Place each of them in their own pot or in the designated places in your garden.
Close the holes and water your seedlings well so that soil is washed up to their roots and the plants can grow again.
Location
It thrives best in a sunny to partially shaded place.
Soil: well-drained, not too acidic, and moderately moist.
Red clover is versatile as well – it can be planted next to any other plant.
Red clover is incredibly good for garden soil. With its long roots, it loosens the soil and saves you from digging up in autumn. It also takes nitrogen from the air and binds it together with the nodule bacteria in the soil - a blessing for all your other plants, as they need this important element to grow.
If you reap the red clover in autumn, you can simply leave it on the ground, and it will form a protective layer of mulch that prevents the soil from drying out. Gradually this is then converted into humus by earthworms and microorganisms.
Because of all its fantastic properties, clover is a popular green manure, both in the field and in private gardens.
Care for Your Red Clover
Avoid waterlogging
Water when it is dry
No winter protection necessary: clover pulls its leaves in during the autumn and pushes them out again in spring
Harvest and Enjoy
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It sure does look pretty when the circular red flowers of the red clover dance in the wind. And it doesn't take long for the red clover to make friends. Insects of all kinds swirl around this wildflower, making her the life of the party.
If you want to try red clover yourself, you can easily incorporate it into your summer kitchen:
sprinkled over the green salad, the flowers offer a nice contrast.
You can also make red clover oil and ointment - both are good for the skin and maintain its elasticity.
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