What it is
Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) is in the Fabaceae (Legume) family. A cold-hardy legume that fixes serious nitrogen over winter and forms a weed-smothering mat.
How to grow it
It wants full sun, water it low, and give it tolerant soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0–7.0. Space plants about Broadcast apart. Expect roughly Fall sow. Cool-season annual.
How it's used
Hairy Vetch is used: cover crop.
🔎 How to identify it
- Many small paired leaflets
- Tendrils
- Purple flower clusters
Not for eating
Grown for the garden, soil, or pollinators — not as food.
🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.