You’ve probably already answered this but your lush green carpet does appear to be clover. You may also have discovered that it’s a nitrogen fixer, you should be able to see small roundish modules on the roots you dug up.
Thanks Graham - turns out it’s oxalis - invasive and everywhere now...with a bright yellow flower. It spreads through bulbs and flowers. I think chickens are the only way to pecking out over time! Not sure about its Nitrogen fixing abilities but It’s hardy stuff...and we’ll make it into green compost I think.
Ah! Good to know, thank you. We use Caliente Mustard for winter ground cover/green manure and a mixture of Phacelia and Yellow Trefoil around the vegetables in the summer. Anything that covers the bare ground and reduces the amount of weeding of unwanted plants is very welcome. I just read the abstract of a research paper on Oxalis that found symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its root system so it might have that benefit also. It also tastes nice, at least the Wood Sorrel I used to pick as a kid did anyway.
I'm enjoying the blog, thank you for sharing your experiences.
You’ve probably already answered this but your lush green carpet does appear to be clover. You may also have discovered that it’s a nitrogen fixer, you should be able to see small roundish modules on the roots you dug up.
Thanks Graham - turns out it’s oxalis - invasive and everywhere now...with a bright yellow flower. It spreads through bulbs and flowers. I think chickens are the only way to pecking out over time! Not sure about its Nitrogen fixing abilities but It’s hardy stuff...and we’ll make it into green compost I think.
Ah! Good to know, thank you. We use Caliente Mustard for winter ground cover/green manure and a mixture of Phacelia and Yellow Trefoil around the vegetables in the summer. Anything that covers the bare ground and reduces the amount of weeding of unwanted plants is very welcome. I just read the abstract of a research paper on Oxalis that found symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its root system so it might have that benefit also. It also tastes nice, at least the Wood Sorrel I used to pick as a kid did anyway.
I'm enjoying the blog, thank you for sharing your experiences.
Looks like Stolt Fjällskivling, I haven't got a clue about the Latin name.