how do you grow alfalfa???

[sdshoars]

i have NO idea where to put this, i figure it can get moved if it needs to. i have about an acre, and there is absolutely no grass or anything on it, i would like to have something for the chickens and goats to enjoy, and i was thinking of planting an alfalfa clover mix. how do i go about that? do i plant it now, or in the spring? and will i have to keep the chickens out of it when it sprouts? any advice, or tips would be appreciated! i can water it, but not oodles and oodles, i dont want to pay out the butt for water, but we have a neighbor that said he could use the excess from his water share if we needed it... so i guess it wouldnt be thaaat hard. anyways... thank you!!!

 

[maplesky7]

I'm not exactly sure but I'm pretty sure you sow it in the spring and cut it down in fall....and it will just keep growing. I have an alfalfa field across from me and they just harvest it with thier cutting machines and it grows back each year.

I have an older lady friend who puts it in her garden in the plots she doesn't intend to use and then cuts it with garden shears and when she's ready to use the plot again, she tills it in the ground because it's rich in nutrients...


me,
g

 

[Katy]

In my area most people sow it in September (we do), but a few do in the spring. I imagine it depends on your local climate.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

Our friends in Colorado sow it in the spring. He gets two cuts one around July and again in the fall. Be careful with Alfalfa feeding it to your goats. Our friends are new to growing it and gave it to their horses One has died as it got too much protein. When he brings us some we feed it alittle at a time mixing it with our local hay that the animals are used to. His has 15 -17 % protein in it.

 

[kinnip]

In Zone 7b, we sow it in the fall. If your animals are continually grazing it, I doubt you'll have to worry about cutting it. Hairy vetch makes a nice, edible cover crop, too.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

micki, are you sure the horse died from the protien or did the alfalfa happen to have a few blister beetles in it. They will kill a horse quickly!
I would not plant it this time of year s it won't survive the cold of winter. Sow in early fall or spring.

 

[ChickenTender63]

it will survive the cold of the winter. There are many farmers throughout the midwest that sow it with their winter wheat seed and then after the spring harvest of wheat and straw, the alfalfa takes over and they get two more cuttings in the season.

Alfalfa, depending upon your area, goes dormant in the winter and comes back every year just like grass does. I would not reccomend you sowing it now though if you are in a cold area at all because the young tender shoots may not make it through a freeze right now. If you had sown it in September though, it would be fine.

But then again, your in Arizona, so you may be just fine sowing it now.

 

[Their Other Mother]

Pennington Seed Co. has a variety of seed combinations depending on your need/preferences. I would imagine Tractor Supply Co. carries some of their seed. Check out their web site for more info, they can also fill you in on planting times.

 

[sdshoars]

i am not in arizona, im in nevada? its waaay too cold at night now, lik20 degrees, so i would have to wait until spring. the goats get straight alfalfa hay, i dont imagine too much protien killed the horses... i think i might try a mix, like ryegrass, and alfalfa and clover or something... hmm...

 

[ChickenTender63]

sorry, musta looked at the state wrong. If your in Nevada, you will need to wait until spring for the alfalfa then.