Anyone Overlooked the Benefits of Clover?
greenjeans_il
17 years ago
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lou_spicewood_tx
17 years agogreenjeans_il
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Crimson clover as a living mulch
Comments (6)Crimson clover is an excellent green manure and living mulch. As a living mulch it is not adding much if any nutrients to the soil, it is only acting as a barrier to prevent unwanted weeds from growing , stopping erosion, keeping the ground cool and providing food and shelter for benificial insects. To increase soil fertility it is neccessary to use an innoculate for clover when it is planted and to turn under the clove just prior to bloom for maximum benefit. Here in South Carolina it is a winter cover crop, blooms in April and dies by May. I till it under in March leaving paths between the rows untilled. When the clover in the paths dies it creates a mulch to help prevent weeds. For you it should last well into the summer. Rodger...See MoreClover lawns
Comments (2)I think the idea that the plant draws nitrogen out of the air might be misleading, our air is about 75% nitrogen. It can be said that humans draw nitrogen out of the air. The problem with a clover lawn is that when you do get weeds such as other broad leafs, there is nothing you can use to kill the weeds that will not kill the clover. This is where lawns come in as a better cover, there are many herbicides that will not hurt a lawn but get the weeds. Why not round up a 1000' sq area of your lawn, separate it from your lawn with timbers and plant clover as a testing area. Make sure you like it and can maintain it....See Morefava and clover, go to seed?
Comments (1)From the reading and study I have done, the nitrogen that has been fixed in the roots of the legumes is used up as the plants begin to flower. So, you would indeed lose the nitrogen benefit by letting the plants go through their entire life cycle. Assuming you are growing vegetables in the area, you will also end up with very difficult to eradicate weeds if you let the clover go to seed. I plant it each fall, then turn it over into the soil at the first flower bud in the spring. It is a wonderful source of organic matter and natural nitrogen. Don't know if this schedule will work for you because you don't indicate where you live. It is important to getting good information to always include your zone number and state in the heading of your posts....See MoreAm I overlooking anything?
Comments (17)I'm jumping in here late, but I don't care for the fridge location in the middle of the counter, and it's way out of the work zone. This plan might not be suitable, but it gets the prep and cooking zones together, with the clean-up zone being on its own across the room--someone else can start cleanup while you are finishing prep and starting to cook. Also, in this plan the fridge is closer to the dining room. I took the top wall (in the architect's drawing) all the way to where the current wall ends, making the prep sink and fridge run 11 feet instead of 10. You could make the 18" drawers 15", and make the the 24" prep sink 18", if it's not possible to extend the kitchen that far. Click to enlarge: You'd prep in the corner, with a view of the birds, and have views on both sides of the range while cooking. Some prep can be done on the island, if you have company in the kitchen, and although the range is still on the back wall, the seats at the island have sight lines through all the windows, as well as the nook. Coffee station is still at the bottom of the stairs, with a MW drawer, but the wine cooler and MW could be switched, if you'd like the MW closer to the fridge and the cooking zone. Extending the clean-up wall toward the nook leaves counter space for baking (can you keep butter and eggs in a wine cooler? ;), but if you have no need for a baking area, the sink and DW could be moved toward the corner. While cleaning up, you have views through the nook windows, and there's room in the nook for a chair and small table, to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the view. The table is also a drop zone for anyone coming in the back door (door swing is reversed). I drew in upper cabinets along the clean-up wall, since there are none elsewhere, but of course, those could be open shelves, or glass front cabs. This plan puts the clean-up sink and DW farther from the DR than I'd like, but given the choice, I'd want the fridge in a tighter (more efficient) work zone. Good luck! ETA this gorgeous kitchen--you could do the same with windows all the way across the back wall: And this:...See Morev1rt
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