I’m going to repost this, probably because it was one of my favourite posts on my old blog. (it was also some of my friend’s favourite too.)
Before I get to the re-post, you can be sure that I’ll be seeding some extra dutch white clover this spring so thicken things up a bit and so our pooch Sammy doesn’t get all muddy when autumn rolls around again. Without further ado, here is my good old clover garden post…
Grass is stupid right? I mean it may look nice, but you have to cut it, water it, fertilize it, aerate it etc etc etc… It’s a complete waste of time and could be more environmentally friendly. In my research into lawn alternatives I discovered that clover might be a good bet. A few weeks later I asked my dad if he could snag me some dutch white clover and I promptly went to work preparing the soil. Enough babbling, show me the clover garden!!
Clover is great, because you don’t need to:
a) cut it
b) water it (clover has much deeper roots than grass and will remain green throughout the summer)
c) fertilize it (clover is a nitrogen fixer, simply put it introduces nitrogen into the soil thus fertilizing the soil on it’s own).
d) clover’s deep roots tolerate soil compaction more readily than grass (don’t worry about aerating it)
e) it’s doesn’t turn yellow and die when your dog pees all over it!!
Simply put, clover rocks. It’s not durable as grass, so it’s not suitable as a turf for a playing surface, but in your backyard this stuff should be considered seriously.
Here’s a few compiled links about clover as a lawn substitute for you.
4 comments ↓
Very nice! I love the look of clover and have just seeded some bare patches in my yard. I bought Dutch White Clover seeds in bulk and just scattered them on all grass-free and damaged areas. I am not sure of the proper way to seed clover, so I do not know if the seeds will germinate. However, I have high hopes that I will soon see little clovers sprouting and maybe over time killing off the ugly weeds that have begun to sprout in spite of my attempts to eliminate them. I like the little white flowers; I remember seeing clover in everyone’s lawn years ago and to be honest, I find clovered lawns far more appealing than the manicured, chemically-induced lawns of today. Lawns of years past were natural and less-contrived looking, and a lot easier to maintain. I may purchase more seed and do the entire yard but, for now, I am waiting to see how successful my initial attempt at introducing clover is.
I made the mistake last fall of cutting my clover too short. It’s on a side hill and very uneven so the lawnmower blade hit the dirt in several places. And then I cleaned out my gutters and to save time, I threw the leaves on the ground… So when I subsequently raked up those leaves a bunch of my clover got ripped out also. Needless to say this spring my side yard had some clover, but was mostly bare. Anyways, I reseeded it and it looks even better than last year. Go Clover!!!
I’m seeding white dutch clover around my mini orchard that surrounds my veggy garden. Currently it is just bare dirt (still developing the yard), and I am tired of hoeing it almost daily to get rid of the weeds that just don’t give up. The way I see it, clover is the only way to go. I don’t want grass, cause it needs to be cut, and round and round the trees, lifting branches, opps there goes another, on and on. The added flowers will encourage more bees, a plus for the fruit trees. Hopefully it will also retain moisture and prevent erosion, as here in bone dry Saskatchewan, the constant wind is blowing away all the soil that I have worked so hard to amend to make perfect. Could it be? The ultimate in ground cover? Maintenance free, and it smells good too. I can hardly wait! I’ll let you know how it goes.
[...] this person from Life in the Slow Lane puts it, Clover is great, because you don’t need [...]
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