Alfalfa Farm

When my kids were young and I was a single mom with a very limited budget, we would go camping in the summer. Our route usually took us north of Boston, on the way to Maine or the White Mountains, and one of our favorite landmarks was a farm with a big sign that read, "Alfalfa Farm." Something about that just tickled our funny bones -- try saying it three times fast! -- and we'd repeat it endlessly and laugh and crack up for several miles. Even today, it brings a smile.

So what does that have to do with anything? Well, for several years I've been reading that some daylily and hosta growers spread alfalfa pellets around their nursery beds first thing in the spring. Alfalfa contains a wealth of naturally-occurring nutrients that are highly beneficial, especially its powerful growth stimulant, Triacontanol, and a variety of minerals and micronutrients.

While alfalfa can also be purchased in cubes or meal form, the pellets seem to work best for our purposes -- the meal is dusty and shouldn't be inhaled; the cubes take longer to break down. And here's the bonus: it's really cheap!! -- I paid $15 for a 50-pound bag. It may well be cheaper in other areas, or from other dealers; I didn't shop around this time.

So just before this week's rains started, I spread alfalfa around most of my daylily beds. Most of the plants are already coming up -- after looking over my weather records for the last five years, we are at least two weeks ahead of usual -- despite having some concerns that once again, I'm jumping the gun in my enthusiasm. About an inch of snow fell this morning, although it melted within a few hours.

One caveat: if you choose to use alfalfa too, make sure it's pure, plain 100% dried alfalfa with no medications or other additives. Use it on the front end of the season only; you don't want to be stimulating top growth at the end of the season. And keep adding compost at any time -- that's the best year-round way to keep your plants healthy and happy.