we have some variety in our nitrogen fixing plants...however they are all legumes...the alfalfa in the top phot is in posession fo three true leaves and so should be able to over winter...the yellow pea in the second photo will probably set a limited amount of nitrogen before it succumbs to a killing frost...no so for the winter vetch and winter rye in the third photo...the rye will act as a reservoir for the excess nitrogen the vetch's symbiosis with rhizobia bacteria will create and it will all be turned under a few weeks before planting day...the new zealand white clover in the fourth photo is a cold hardy perennial and will be part of an experimental plot next season in which food crops will be interplanted in the bed to see what kind fo production we get...the plants are still blooming away and the photo shows a reasonably new bloom along with on that has gone to seed...we will be adding field peas to this mix in march to give the beds a bit of an extra nitrogen and organic matter in spring...we'll be watching the status of these plants over the winter and posting updates as we go.
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