When to plant hairy vetch

Hairy Vetch (cover crop) is classed hardy in the cited extension guidance. The timing rules below are relative to your local freeze dates — enter a location to turn them into calendar dates.

The rules this site applies
MethodFrost-relative windowRule & reconciliation
Fall planting45–15 days before the median first fall freezeAlabama Extension states an explicit frost-anchored range — plant hairy vetch 15 to 45 days before the killing frost — which encodes directly as 45 to 15 days ahead of the first fall freeze; UMass Extension's general cover-crop rule of about 30 days before the first expected frost falls inside that range, so the wider Alabama interval is used and no conflict needed resolving.

Variety assumption: Assumes seeding for overwintering and spring nitrogen, commonly drilled or broadcast in a mix with winter rye.

Crop rule sources (2)
Reviewed city pages for hairy vetch
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