OK TC, Leo, or anyone else, what are the benefits here and what plants does it work well for? it is completely common to have hard frost well into the middle of april here...... sometimes longer. with plants like alfalfa, i have read that i shouldn't plant until the soil temps are roughly 46 degrees or better since that is right around where germination will start to take place. yet i have also read where alfalfa seed will start to rot and/or not function if exposed to direct sunlight for too long. since clover is also a legume, wouldn't this also be true of it? or is what i have read in the past not completely accurate?
i really want to get a jump on it this season. i planted 9 acres of alfalfa last spring but got it started later than i wanted due to not finding a tractor as early as i had hoped. this past summer, i sprayed (twice), then plowed, disc'd and lymed about 12 more acres to prep for this coming spring planting...... then i sprayed it one last time at the end of september just to nail any of the weeds and grass that were trying to pop up. i have a few sections that hold plenty of water for clover but am thinking about chickory and small burnett to add to the buffet...... plus, i want to keep some areas out of alfalfa so that when the time comes to rotate the main alfalfa stand out for a year, that i am not completely without it.