I have just visited a farmer with several plots of nectar mix – areas sown with flowering legumes, plants such as red clover, vetches and birds foot trefoil for the benefit of insects and bees. This is normally sown on its own or sometimes with grass although the recommendation now is normally without, as grass creeps in of its own accord replacing the valuable flowering plants and shortening the life of the mix.
This farmer does things a bit differently – he has been sowing a mix of oats and barley with the clover legume mix undersown. The idea is that competition from the cereals increases the growth rate of the legumes, which is particularly useful on the poor soils of this particular farm. By leaving the cereals in situ over winter, it also provides a food source for hungry birds. A similar method is used in forestry with quicker growing conifers acting as a nurse crop to broadleaved species.
The plan is to top off what remains of the cereal in the spring.
So far so good – the clover is coming through well despite challenging growing conditions and poor soils and there is plenty for the birds to eat this winter.
