Vicia villosa Seeds | Hairy Vetch
LATIN NAME: Vicia villosa
COMMON NAME: Hairy Vetch, Winter Vetch
Plant Profile
A distinctive member of its genus, Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) is a trailing, annual in the pea family, native to regions of the Europe and the western Asia, while it has been introduced widely as a cover crop and a green manure. The ratio of effort to reward here is about as good as gardening gets.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Vicia villosa, a representative of the pea family with clear practical value. Hairy vetch has a real and distinguished place in research. In practice, its long garden history means the grower inherits a plant of known and dependable habits.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Hairy Vetch earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Hairy vetch is a climbing, annual herb of fields and gardens, bearing compound, bright-green leaves and clusters of purple, pea-like flowers in the spring. Its flowers are a magnet for bees and other pollinators, and its nitrogen-fixing roots improve soil, while its dense, trailing growth gives a fine cover crop and a green manure. To raise hairy vetch, sow seeds on surface of pots of moist, open soil in a cool, sunny place, keep them gently watered, and grow little plants on in the sun. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.
Vetches are fine forage and green-manure legumes, and the common vetch’s relative, faba bean’s genus-mate, carries the same nitrogen-fixing gifts; their seeds feed doves and folk traditions alike.
Growing from Seed
Starting Hairy Vetch from seed is simple and satisfying. Surface-sow onto a light, well-drained compost, dust over a thin covering, and keep evenly moist and sunny until the seedlings show. Move strong seedlings into individual pots, keep them in good light, and set them out when the weather and their size agree.
Our Take
Once established, Hairy Vetch, Winter Vetch largely looks after itself. After establishment, care settles into an easy routine.
Related Reading
More species in the same orbit as Hairy Vetch: