Tomatoes and crimson clover??

[greeneyes]

I was prowling around organic websites and I came across something that interested me.I'm going to put the question to you all and see what you say..
It said to plant crimson clover under the tomato plant when it is around 2 feet tall..The reason?It will smother weeds and fix nitrogen in the soil..What do you all think about that??It makes sense in a way but won't the clover and the tomato be battling for nutrients from the soil at the same time?....Dawn

[canadamike]

I tried undersowing with clover once. But I am in clay, so weeds always found a way to pop up before it got established, so I got tired and hoed everything anyway. In an easier soil, where you can pluck out weeds while whistling to the birds, I would do it all the time. By the time the tomatoes or cabbages are big enough, the clover does not compete with them.

I often find some in my better ( more amended and easier to work) soil very close to the tomatoes, I don't bother taking it out and the tomato plants are huge and productive, looks more like a companion or neutral thing to me than a competitor....

[ceara]

In one of my gardening books, they recommend Hairy Vetch for pretty much the same reason.

[orflo]

I don't know how much frost or snow cover these undercrops (clover, vetch, ...) can take, but I sow these (clover) in autumn, I had time to remove lots of young seedlings then, and I make sure the clovers can size up to a few true leaves. In spring, I still have to remove some weeds, but mostly the clover has made a sort of carpet , I make holes wherever I want to plant something , kales or peppers, and so on ... It depends a bit on the winter weather if the system really works well, a winter with mild temperatures is better

[canadamike]

That's the way to do it Frank, otherwise clover can't establish fast enough for you mot to be pissed at the other weeds. Done like that, it has time to eventually take over the bad guys. Lotus corniculatus does the same kind of thing, which reminds me I bought a pound of it for my semi-clayish kitchen garden and forgot to seed it...

[greeneyes]

Thanks,you all answered my questions..I think i'll give it a try but maybe sow the clover earlier before the time the tomatoes go out.I had a crimson clover that was winter-sowed with some mixed wild flowers last winter and by late spring it was pretty good sized and transplanted easily enough.Maybe i'll just winter-sow a good amount of the seeds and take it from there.I'll try anything once,and if it adds something to the soil,it can't be bad...I saw the same thing about vetch but it doesn't seem to grow well here,at least i have never seen any growing.Isn't vetch in the pea family?Another thing to think about....Dawn