What is Alfalfa?

Alfalfa is native to Asia and is one of the most important and common hay crops in the world. A long-lived perennial legume, fresh, pure alfalfa stands from one to three feet tall and produces clusters of small purple flowers. It prefers deep, well-drained soils and is found throughout the entire United States.

In addition, alfalfa grass yields healthy amounts of plant matter that can be harvested several times a season, which is why it is invaluable in hay production and is widely grown and used among farms and pasture lands. Alfalfa can also be partnered with grass species such as meadow fescue and orchardgrass for pasture grazing, although it should be a small percentage of the overall forage mix content to avoid bloating.

 

What Are The Uses of Alfalfa?

Though we provide a brief list of its uses above, here is a more detailed description of the many uses of alfalfa for livestock and agriculture:

Hay Production – As mentioned earlier, alfalfa hay is considered ideal for farmers, as its persistent growth cycle throughout the year can allow for great volumes of hay to be produced. Alfalfa hay is also known as high-protein feed, ensuring the livestock it feeds grows healthy and strong.

Livestock Grazing – During more verdant times of the year, alfalfa is also great for animals such as cows and lambs to graze and consume directly.

Silage – Alfalfa can also be stored in a silo for lengthy amounts of time, providing high-quality feed for times of year when there are no grasses or other plants for animals to graze.

Green Manure – For those looking to help sustain their lawns or pastures better, alfalfa can also be used as a great fertilizer while it is still green, providing additional nitrogen to the soil.

Ground Cover – In some cases, alfalfa can also be used as feed or fertilizer and as protection from soil erosion, weeds, diseases, and more.

Those are just some ways alfalfa seeds are used to benefit your farm, pasture, or other landscape. There are many incredible advantages to growing it as a crop on your property.

 

What Are The Benefits of Having Alfalfa Fields?

In addition to its varied uses, planting alfalfa seeding provides several benefits that make it more distinct and ideal to include as part of your forage mix. Here are a few perks of alfalfa seed to consider:

Alfalfa Increases soil nitrogen

As it is a legume, alfalfa plants have the ability to fix available nitrogen from the atmosphere, absorbing it from the air and back into the soil, enhancing plant growth for subsequent crops you may be planting in the same field later on.

Alfalfa is the highest-yielding forage plant

As mentioned before, alfalfa seed also provides a high yield for a sizable time of the year, giving it the highest feeding value among other legume and grass species.

Alfalfa Helps prevent soil erosion

Alfalfa plants each grow an incredibly deep root system, making it somewhat drought-tolerant, loosening compacted soil for better water infiltration and structure, and reducing soil erosion.

Alfalfa Provides high-quality forage and animal feed

Alfalfa grass can also be excellent feed and forage for livestock such as sheep and cattle. It provides them with a healthy, abundant food source with a high protein content and remains fresh for long periods, even when stored in a silo.

Alfalfa Manages the insect population

Planting alfalfa also helps protect every acre of pasture or farmland from harmful pests, as it attracts all kinds of other more beneficial insects, such as bees and other pollinators, as well as birds, which will hunt down any pests looking to eat your other crops.

These benefits and more help to prove that alfalfa may be the best legume in the world to plant in your pasture or grazing area. For premium quality Alfalfa seed and other legumes, order from Nature’s Seed today!

Aspen Daisy is a perennial wildflower native to much of the western United States. They are very similar in appearance to aster wildflowers and rarely get over two feet tall. It produces white, daisy-like flowers which bloom from June to September. Aspen Daisy thrives in full sun, but can also handle partial shade with well-drained soil. It is a good, drought tolerant wildflower that makes a great addition to mixes and provides a stunning view when planted in mass.

Scientific Name: Erigeron speciosus

Each wildflower seed packet contains approximately 100 seeds.

Spiked Gayfeather is a native perennial that grows in vertical clusters of purple, white, and red flowers. It blooms from July to September in low-lying moist areas along prairies, meadows, or open fields. Spiked Gayfeather is known for its pest, deer, and disease resistance. It thrives in full sun and is tolerant to heat, drought, and cold.

Sweet William is an introduced perennial that often acts as an annual. Native to southern Europe, it grows in dense clusters of beautiful and colorful blooms on stiff, extended stems. It thrives in full sun and is an excellent plant for flower beds, gardens, and fields. Sweet William is loved for its sweet fragrance and its ability to attract pollinators.

Moss verbena, also known as South American mock vervain, is an introduced perennial from South America. It requires little water and full sun. Moss verbena has purple flowers that bloom spring to summer on light soils along road shoulders or in waste areas. It is an excellent perennial for ground cover.

Also known as Lady’s Glove. This introduced species from Europe is a biennial flower whose flowers typically develop in its second year. It requires a high amount of moisture and prefers full sunlight. The flowers bloom purple early in the summer and it is a popular source of nectar for bees due to its long, tubular flowers. Purple Foxglove can grow quite tall, reaching heights up to four feet tall.

Verbena hastata, commonly known as blue vervain, is a graceful perennial wildflower native to North America, found in wet meadows, stream banks, and marshy areas. It is characterized by its slender, erect stems that can reach heights of up to 4 feet, adorned with clusters of small, vibrant purple-blue flowers. Blue vervain blooms from mid-summer to early fall, attracting a variety of pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds with its nectar-rich blossoms. Its lance-shaped leaves are arranged along the stem in opposite pairs, adding to its aesthetic appeal. Blue vervain also plays a role in ecological restoration efforts, as it is valued for its ability to stabilize wetland soils and provide habitat for native wildlife.

A biennial member of the mint family, dotted mint is found in central and eastern United States. Its multiple whorls of dotted flowers makes this plant hard to mistake. Tolerant of many soil types, it prefers dry to mesic-dry sandy soils in full sun to partial shade. Growing up to 2 feet in height, its pink flowers can be seen in bloom from June-August attracting insects and hummingbirds of many types.

Baptisia australis, commonly known as blue false indigo, is a striking perennial wildflower native to the prairies and woodlands of North America. Its name derives from its blue, pea-like flowers and its historical use as a substitute for true indigo dye. The plant typically grows to a height of 3 to 4 feet and features attractive gray-green foliage. Blue false indigo blooms in late spring to early summer, producing tall spikes adorned with numerous indigo-blue flowers that are a magnet for pollinators like bees and butterflies. After flowering, the plant develops intriguing black seed pods that persist into the fall, adding visual interest to the landscape. Aside from its ornamental value, Baptisia australis is valued for its role in native plant landscaping and restoration projects due to its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, enriching it for other plant species. It’s a low-maintenance plant, tolerant of drought and poor soil conditions once established.

This mixture of garden annuals provides a bright and colorful array of flowers through spring. For the beginning or experienced gardener, Spring Fever Wildflower mix is an easy-growing group of plants that perform well in a wide range of climates. Fall planting results in an earlier and longer blooming period. Spring planting can be successful with supplemental irrigation.

The colors in bloom will vary at different times of the year, depending on how much water and sunlight are available to the wildflowers.  The colors which you will see at different times of the year will include:  blues, purples, reds, yellows, whites, and oranges.

The actual composition of wildflowers will vary from season to season and from year to year, but generally you will receive the following wildflowers in each order of this mix:

Bachelor Buttons, Centaurea cyanus
Farewell-to-Spring, Clarkia amoena
African Daisy, Dimorphotheca sinuata
California Poppy, Eschscholzia californic
Goldfields, Lasthenia glabrata
Tidy Tips, Layia platyglossa
Toadflax, Linaria vulgaris
Scarlet Flax, Linum grandiflorum
Sweet Alyssum, Lobularia maritima
Baby Blue-Eyes, Nemophila menziesii
California Bluebell, Phacelia campanularia

This mix will make a great addition to any area of your landscape that you want to enhance the color with wildflowers that are not commonly found in typical store-bought seed mixes.  Many of the seeds in this mix have been hand-harvested from the wild and, until now, have only been available to professional and commercial buyers.

This mix has been a real favorite for sprucing up the color in areas such as:
Open fields
Cabin sites
Next to walk-ways
Flower gardens
Window boxes
Hillsides and other sloped areas
Any area with partial to full sun and available moisture (rainfall or irrigation).

This wildflower mix contains no grasses and no fillers.  We pride ourselves on our professional-grade wildflower seeds. Many of our customers may want to partner this mix with low-growing grass. In these circumstances, we recommend sheep fescue. Sheep fescue is a low-growing grass that establishes quickly, helping fill in gaps between wildflowers and creating a meadow-like look. Because it’s a short-growing bunchgrass, it won’t hide the beauty of the wildflowers. Sheep fescue is a great compliment to this wildflower mix.  We recommend buying about a half pound of sheep fescue for every 2000 sq ft (1 lb.) of wildflower mix. This amount may be increased or decreased depending on your desired ratio of wildflowers to grass.