I have a new crop of Crimson Clover. The leaves are very pretty after the rain. They collect the droplets like shiny jewels.
The clover is in the garden bed adjacent to my house. This bed has lead levels too high for vegetables. I had cleared the shrubbery from this area before testing the soil. I am planning to fill the bed slowly with flowering perennials and small bushes. In the mean time, I've planted clover. Soon it will bloom with flowers the bees should enjoy.
Scattered in the clover are a few seedlings of pumpkins, sunflowers, dahlias and some wildflowers I grew from seed this spring. There are also three large barrels that I planted with chiles and bell peppers. I'll plant bean seeds soon in a few window boxes along the edge.
chile and bell peppers (Capsicum)
topic: soil
I had a lovely surprise recently. I had been pulling clover "weeds" from my gardening spaces until my son, 12, asked me if I knew you could eat "lemon clover". These aren't the clovers with the oval shaped leaves - lemon clovers have a heart shaped leaf, and when you chew them, there is indeed a lovely lemon aftertaste. Now that I know this, I have been letting them grow, and have been putting them in all my salads!
ReplyDeleteI also let my dandelions grow, and harvest those for salad as well, since I use no lawn chemicals.
The lemon-clover you describe is Wood-sorrel. It should be eaten in moderation as it contains Oxalic Acid, which is mildly toxic and can cause indigestion.
ReplyDeleteNancy