Clover
Also known as: Trifolium · Cover crop clover
10 types of clover
Alsike Clover
Ongoingalso: Trifolium hybridum
Perennial pink-and-white clover that tolerates wet, acidic soils where others struggle.
Crimson Clover
70 days to bloomalso: Trifolium incarnatum
Showy crimson-red conical flowers — excellent winter cover in mild zones. Fast establishment, high N-fixation.
Field Clover
60 days to bloomalso: Trifolium campestre, Hop Trefoil
Annual yellow-flowered clover — excellent for pollinators and light cover.
Ladino White Clover
Ongoingalso: Trifolium repens 'Ladino', White Clover
Large-leaved, high-yielding white clover — popular for pasture and orchards.
Mammoth Red Clover
80 daysalso: Trifolium pratense 'Mammoth', Red Clover
Tall, vigorous red clover cultivar — excellent green manure and forage.
Medium Red Clover
80 daysalso: Trifolium pratense 'Medium', Red Clover
Standard medium-tall red clover — reliable hay, pasture, and cover-crop choice.
Palestine Strawberry Clover
Ongoingalso: Trifolium fragiferum var. Palestine, Strawberry Clover
Perennial clover with pinkish heads that turn strawberry-shaped; salt and wet-soil tolerant.
Red Clover
80 daysalso: Trifolium pratense
Upright perennial with rose-purple flowers — deep taproot breaks up compacted soil. Widely used as forage and green manure.
Rose Clover
60 days to bloomalso: Trifolium hirtum
Annual clover with rose-pink flower heads; thrives in mild winter / Mediterranean climates.
White Dutch Clover
Ongoingalso: Trifolium repens
Low-growing perennial — the classic lawn clover. Tough living mulch under fruit trees and in pathways.
When & where
Germination
Spacing & depth
How to plant
Rake the soil surface, broadcast seed evenly, and rake lightly to cover. Water in. Inoculate with clover-specific Rhizobium for maximum nitrogen fixation. Mow before flowering, or till the whole crop under 2–3 weeks before planting your main crop.
Grower's tip
One of the best living mulches and nitrogen fixers. Bees adore the flowers — leave a patch for pollinators if you can.
Soil preferences
Well-drained loam. Beans and peas fix their own nitrogen — don't over-fertilize.
6.0–7.0
Inoculate seed with rhizobia bacteria at planting for a nitrogen boost. Skip nitrogen fertilizer.
Watering
1 in per week; more during flowering and pod fill.
Drip at the base — wet foliage invites anthracnose and rust.
Overwatered: yellow leaves, dropped blossoms, root rot. Underwatered: dropped flowers, short pods with few seeds.
Prefers top-watering — Top-water at the base with drip. Rust and anthracnose spread through wet leaves — never work in a bean patch when it's wet.
Temperature tolerance
65–80°F (18–27°C) for beans; 55–70°F (13–21°C) for peas
50–65°F (10–18°C)
Peas and favas tolerate frost; common beans, limas, and southern peas are frost-tender.
Container growing
Yes — great in containers
3+ gal (11 L) for bush types; use a trellis for pole types
Bush beans and peas do well in pots; pole types need a sturdy 6-ft trellis.
Succession planting
Bush beans every 2–3 weeks until 8 weeks before first frost. One planting of peas per cool season.
Detailed harvesting
Pick snap types young and often when pods snap crisply. For shell beans, let pods dry to brown on the plant.
Post-harvest storage & preservation
Fresh: refrigerate 3–5 days. Freeze blanched. Dry-shelled: store in sealed jars after freezing 3 days to kill weevil eggs.
Culinary, medicinal & other uses
Fresh snap, shell fresh, dry for storage, sprout for greens, cover crop for soil building.
Medicinal or traditional uses are shared for interest only — this is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before using any plant medicinally.
Seed saving
Self-pollinating (peas, common beans). Runner beans and fava beans cross via bees.
10 ft for common beans; 150 ft for runners and favas.
The pod IS the seed — let extras dry on the plant, shell, and freeze 3 days before storage.
Your zone's planting calendar
Pick your USDA hardiness zone and we'll estimate the key dates for clover in your area. These are regional averages — always check your own last-frost forecast before sowing.
From your kitchen — grow clover from what you already have
Beans and peas are the easiest seed to save — the seed IS the harvest.
- 1Leave pods on the plant until they turn tan and rattle.
- 2Pick whole pods on a dry day; shell into a bowl or paper bag.
- 3Air-dry indoors another 1–2 weeks — a bean should shatter, not dent, when hit with a hammer.
- 4Freeze 3 days in a sealed jar to kill weevil eggs, then store dry.
Storage: 3–4 years dry.
My Clover notes
Clover seeds on hand
Track packets and loose seeds you already have. Private to your account.
Par level — leave at 0 for no alert. Anything below par shows on Seed Starting and your shopping list.
Order more seeds
Running low? Reorder from one of these seed stores.
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