Exposure Full-sun to partial shade
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Vicia villosa. Hardy Annual. This nitrogen fixer is a lanky and sprawling, but versatile legume that is fairly tolerant of acid soils and light shade. It can be mowed down in spring to supply good mulch. Hardy to Zone 4: -34°C (-30°F). 500g covers approximately 145 m2 (1,560 ft²). Sow Hairy Vetch cover crop seeds from early March to mid-April, and again August to mid-September.
NOTE: Hairy Vetch seeds are toxic to chickens, so plant out of the way of foraging flocks or cut the vetch while it is just flowering.
(Open-pollinated seeds)
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Latin
Latin
Vicia villosa
Family: Fabaceae
Exposure
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Timing
Timing
Sow vetch as early as the ground can be worked, and on into late spring. Sow again in late summer for a fall crop.
Starting
Starting
Sow seeds 5-10mm (¼-½") deep.
Growing
Growing
For nitrogen fixation, allow plants to reach the flowering stage. We recommend cutting the abundant vegetation and leaving it on the soil as a mulch against weeds, to retain moisture, and provide insect habitat. Otherwise, work the long vines and their roots into the soil with a garden fork.
West Coast Seeds is a family-owned company that embraces an organic lifestyle. A group of imagination catalysts and passionate educators, dedicated to producing products and services that better the environment. As part of our mission to repair the earth, we aim to inspire and empower people to take responsibility for the state of the planet. For us, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
For over 35 years, we have upheld our strong reputation as a leading seed supplier, seeking out the highest quality untreated seeds for organic growing and putting them through rigorous independent testing. We built our company on the exchange of generational wisdom in a masterclass community of newbies and masters alike. Our world may have changed, but our commitment to our people, our customers, and our planet has not.
We’re a values-based business that has blossomed into a lifestyle ethos, with products that support seeders, feeders, keepers, and the tiniest of creepers. Our mission? To mobilize the next generation of gardeners with products that nourish soil and grow vigorous, sustainable gardens. We believe all plants should be grown without the use of chemicals, and that the seeds we supply are an important component of regenerative gardening.
We don’t just offer seeds, we offer experience, insight, and understanding. From timeless garden wisdom to new tech know-how, this is learning on the job: knowledge gleaned not from the pages of a book but from burying our fingers in the soil. We test, experiment, observe and adapt, never happier than when we get to share what we’ve learned with others.
Gardens don’t just grow seeds. They grow minds and imaginations, people and communities. Our vision encompasses both the micro and the macro. We eat locally, protect pollinators, teach people to grow from seed, and support regional biodiversity. We think big but act small and deliver unexpected impact — always with community and purpose.
At West Coast Seeds we believe in the power of small and that little can be large. Like the tiniest seed germinates to evoke incremental change with massive potential, so to can our community of gardeners and growers together. Gardeners are the earth’s stewards, planting seeds of creative declaration. The soil provides the canvas, we provide the seeds.
Sow vetch as early as the ground can be worked, and on into late spring. Sow again in late summer for a fall crop.
Sow seeds 5-10mm (¼-½") deep.
For nitrogen fixation, allow plants to reach the flowering stage. We recommend cutting the abundant vegetation and leaving it on the soil as a mulch against weeds, to retain moisture, and provide insect habitat. Otherwise, work the long vines and their roots into the soil with a garden fork.
