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Milk vetch lives from autumn to early summer. It germinates as the weather cools, grows slowly through winter, takes off in spring, flowers, and then dies back with the summer heat. The schedule below assumes a mild-winter garden; in cold-winter areas, shift sowing to early spring and expect flowering later and shorter.
| Season | What the plant is doing | Your jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Early to mid autumn | Germinating and forming a rosette | Prepare and lime the bed, inoculate and sow, keep moist |
| Winter | Low rosette, slow growth | Little to do; check for frost heaving |
| Early spring | Stems lengthening and spreading | Pull weeds, water in dry spells, watch for aphids |
| Mid to late spring | Flowering | Enjoy the bloom, leave it for the bees |
| Late spring to early summer | Pods forming, plants declining | Turn in as green manure, or leave some to self-sow |
| Summer | Dead or gone | Plant the summer crop a few weeks after turning in |
Fitting it around vegetables
The classic pattern is milk vetch in winter and a warm-season crop in summer. After the summer vegetables come out, the bed is sown with milk vetch; it covers the soil through the wet months, protecting it from erosion and nutrient loss, and then feeds the following crop when it is turned in.
Allow time between turning it in and planting. Fresh green material breaking down in the soil can briefly harm seeds and young transplants, so wait a few weeks after incorporating it before sowing or planting the next crop.
Turning it in
Turning in is simple, but timing and moisture make it work well.
- Choose the moment Aim for around full flowering, when nitrogen content is high and stems are still soft.
- Cut it down Mow or chop the plants first so the pieces break down faster.
- Mix into the topsoil Dig or fork the material into the top few inches of soil rather than burying it deeply.
- Keep it moist Decomposition needs moisture; water in a dry spell so the material does not sit dry and unchanged.
- Wait before planting Leave a few weeks for the material to break down before sowing or transplanting the next crop.
No-dig alternative
If you prefer not to dig, cut the plants at the base after flowering and leave them on the surface as a mulch, or cover them with compost. The nitrogen is released more slowly this way, but the soil structure is left undisturbed, and you can plant transplants through the mulch.
If you want the patch to return next year, leave a strip uncut until the pods turn brown and split before you clear it.
Cold-winter gardens
Where winters are long and hard, autumn-sown milk vetch may not make it through to spring. Spring sowing as soon as the soil can be worked is the safer route. The plants then grow quickly through the cool part of spring and flower before summer heat stops them, though usually on a smaller scale than an overwintered stand. If your aim is a reliable winter cover crop in a cold climate, a hardier cover such as crimson clover or hairy vetch may suit better, with milk vetch grown as a trial alongside.