Quote:
Originally Posted by General Schvantzkoph
Has anyone used white clover as living mulch? I've just planted white
dutch clover in my corn field on the theory that clover fixes nitrogen and
corn consumes vast quantities of nitrogen.
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But nitrogen-fixing plants don't release nitrogen to other plants while it is growing. It is only when you plough it back in to the soil or compost it that you get a net nitrogen increase for future crops. Meanwhile, intercropping it, it competes with other plants by taking up water and other nutrients.
Peas and beans also fix nitrogen. But you still need rich fertile soil to get a good crop off them.