North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Road's End Farm <organic87@frontiernet.net>]

On Jul 6, 2009, at 7:01 AM, Heath Flax wrote:

> As to that special type of limited-growth clover
> for use as a living mulch (between fruit trees or plants, e.g.), there
> seems , by my efforts anyhow, difficulty finding out much about it on
> the web.  Whether there's some specific name for that needs to be used
> searching, I don't know.
> I did remember it as having in recent years, been sold by Indiana
> Berry & Plant, but I find nothing about it in their catalog or on
> their website.
> I'm not sure it has proven all that hardy, and so maybe for the Zone
> 5b site I have in mind for it (between blueberry rows) I would be
> better off with regular white clover anyway.
>
> Not sure of others' "take" on this, but I though it interesting that
> there may be so very little readily available info on it online, and
> as well that a major company like IB&P seems to have stopped selling
> it...

Try "Dutch White Clover" or "New Zealand White Clover". Fedco carries both; Johnny's carries the New Zealand; as both companies are based in Maine, I doubt this is a hardiness problem; and I have found them hardy here, though grasses tend to come in and join them eventually and may crowd out the clover over time. One or the other are also commonly carried by farm supply places around here, at least the last time I looked.

Doesn't Indiana Berry specialize primarily in fruits? I didn't think they carried a wide range of cover crops; maybe I'm wrong.

--Rivka
Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly