On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 00:26:02 -0400, "Heidi the Horrible"
wrote:

Crown Vetch....
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That's what my husband is looking for, but that sounds too much like
kudzu to me.


No, not at all. Kudzu is ugly and doesn't prevent errosion and goes dormant
to a nasty brown in winter. Vetch can be very nice. It is difficult to
establish but is bullet-proof and spreads like crazy once it does.

This fall, I would kill everything on the hillside and plant crown vetch
mixed with annual rye grass. The rye will grow and establish quickly into a
nice yard. Next May or so, the rye will begin to die and the vetch will
take over.

Vetch blooms nicely about June 1 in TN and lasts until about July 15.
Then if you mow/weed-eat it afte ther blooms fade, it will bloom again for
another month or so.

Vetch does not need good soil or fertilizer and you'll get plenty of rain
naturally for it.. I grow it in creeks, on steep hills and in rocky soil.

In my creek, the vetch is crowding out all the brush and crap that I had
to clear twice a year.

I love the stuff...but people do think I'm crazy.




Unfortunately, the hill we are looking to cover has very poor soil and
gets sun all day long. We need something aggressive that won't wash
away.

Perfect for vetch !




We've thought about mixing some good top soil in with it, but
it's a large, steep area and the soil would say "bye-bye" with the
next rainfall.


Vetch likes bad soil just fine.


This sounds exactly like a 50 degree hill I'm trying to figure out
what to do with in my backyard. however, the area runs right along my
neighbor's grass for about 25 feet or so. I was going to just put in
a treated 4x4 demark on the lot line, but if the vetch is so
pervasive, will it be easy to keep it from getting into my neighbor's
yard?

Thanks for any info

John