🌱 Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
cover-crops herbaceous perennial legume
A
☀️ Sun
Full sun
💧 Water
Low–medium once established; extremely drought-tolerant with 3–6 foot+ taproot
🗺️ Zones
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
🪴 Soil Type
Deep, well-drained loam; tolerates sandy and clay-loam with good drainage
🧪 Soil pH
6.5–7.5 (neutral to slightly alkaline)
💧 Drainage
Well-drained essential; will NOT tolerate waterlogged soil — root rot and winterkill
📏 Spacing
Broadcast at 15–25 lbs/acre; 6–12 inch row spacing for seed production
📐 Height
2–3 feet
📅 Days to Maturity
60–70 days to first cutting; perennial for 3–7 years
🍴 Edible Parts
🍽️ ["Sprouts (salads🍽️ sandwiches \u2014 most common edible form)"🍽️ "Young leaves (cooked like spinach)"🍽️ "Flowers (tea)"]
🤝 Companions (8)
🤝 Corn (Maize)
Alfalfa before corn provides massive nitrogen credits (100–150+ lbs/acre); corn yields increase significantly.
Alfalfa-wheat rotations are traditional dryland farming; alfalfa fixes nitrogen and improves soil tilth.
Tomatoes benefit from alfalfa mulch or prior cover crop; nitrogen release and improved soil biology boost production.
🤝 Orchard Trees
Alfalfa in orchard alleys fixes nitrogen for fruit trees, attracts pollinators, and deep roots don't compete.
🤝 Brassicas (Broccoli, Kale)
Brassicas are heavy nitrogen feeders thriving after alfalfa; the nitrogen credit is perfectly timed.
🤝 Squash / Pumpkin
Squash explodes with growth planted into killed alfalfa mulch; nitrogen supports massive leaf and fruit production.
🤝 Timothy Grass
Alfalfa-timothy is classic hay mix; timothy provides fiber while alfalfa provides protein for balanced forage.
Sunflowers benefit from alfalfa's nitrogen contribution in rotation; deep roots bring up minerals for seeds.
⚠️ Keep Apart (4)
⚠️ Competing tap-rooted perennials
Other deep tap-rooted plants reduce alfalfa stand vigor; establish clean seedbed before planting.
⚠️ Waterlogged / high water table
Alfalfa roots will not penetrate saturated soil; causes root rot, heaving, and winterkill.
⚠️ Acidic soils (pH < 6.0)
Alfalfa performs very poorly in acidic soil; nodulation fails and plants become chlorotic — lime essential.
⚠️ Weedy fields at establishment
Alfalfa seedlings are weak competitors; heavy weed pressure causes stand failure — use nurse crop or pre-plant weed control.
💊 Medicinal Uses
["Phytoestrogen isoflavones studied for menopause symptom relief", "Cholesterol-lowering effects from saponin content", "Rich in vitamins A, C, E, K and minerals calcium and iron", "Traditional use: digestive tonic, arthritis relief, blood purifier"]
📜 History & Traditional Uses
Cultivated over 6,000 years — originated in Persia; called "father of all foods" by Arabs; introduced to Americas by Spanish as essential horse fodder.
📝 Notes
Premier nitrogen-fixing cover crop — fixes 150–250+ lbs nitrogen/acre/year. Deep taproot (up to 20+ feet) mines subsoil nutrients. Excellent livestock forage. Requires rotational grazing to prevent bloat. Cut 3–5 times per season.