In an experiment in Beltsville, Maryland, researchers compared the yields of tomatoes when grown using a hairy vetch living mulch versus other clovers, black plastic mulch, paper mulch and no mulch. Yields of the tomatoes were more than double that of the unmulched plants and were significantly higher than even the plants that were grown with black plastic. The scientists found that hairy vetch helped reduce soil erosion, water evaporation, and moderated the soil temperature. The vetch cover also eliminated early weed competition and released nitrogen to the tomato plants over a long period of time. Further testing has also found that growing tomatoes in an organic mulch of hairy vetch also reduced damage from Colorado potato beetle. Yields of tomatoes just grown with hairy vetch were comparable to those of tomatoes grown using insecticides.
Some Words Of Caution
As wonderful as the plant is, there are a few drawbacks. Hairy vetch seed usually contains anywhere between 15-30% hard seed which will not germinate the year it is planted. I commonly see vetch plants poking their way up around my garden years after I seeded the area with vetch. In addition, when it's not grown with a cereal crop, the dense mat that the leaves form can harbor aphids, tarnished plant bugs, armyworms, and cutworms. However, if these points are kept in mind and the vetch is combined with a cereal crop, I think it's still worth growing. Not only will the vetch provide almost all the nitrogen needed for my vegetable garden, its uses as a weed suppressing mulch and safe haven for ladybugs still make it a favourite in my garden.
For more information on Hairy Vetch, here are a few University websites:
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/a...
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages/p...
http://www.extension.umn.edu/cluster/clu...
http://grant-adams.wsu.edu/agriculture/c...
http://www.fuzzylu.com/greencenter/q33/h...
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