Vicia villosa

Vicia villosa is an annual legume cultivated as a forage plant and as a green manure for autumn and winter. Like all legumes, it has the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil while protecting it from heavy rain. It is distinguished by its vigorous growth. It is sown from August to October, at a rate of 50 grams per 50 m2, and is destroyed in April/May.

The Fodder Vetch has compound, pinnate leaves with numerous leaflets. The terminal leaves often take the form of tendrils that allow it to climb neighboring plants. Its flowering occurs from June to August, in the form of a papilionaceous corolla with five petals, mauve-red, characteristic of legumes.

Widely used in permaculture, green manures have numerous benefits: they enrich and loosen the soil while preventing the establishment of weeds. They also have the advantage of providing a vegetative cover that protects clay soils from heavy rain and sandy soils from leaching. They can be sown throughout the year, and can be chopped before seed formation to incorporate them through shallow digging or left in place as mulch.

Fodder Vetch is distinguished by its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil. Its roots have good soil loosening power and it produces abundant and nutrient-rich foliage in a few months, ideal for smothering weeds and for on-site or heap composting. It is a green manure that is suitable for heavy and poor soils.