The Stunning Purple Flowering Ground Cover That'll Help Your Fruit Trees Thrive

Some plants make the best companions, and this tough wildflower, known for its pretty purple petals, is no exception. If you want a ground cover to grow underneath your fruit trees, look no further than garden vetch (Vicia sativa), a trailing plant that commonly grows in pastures and on roadsides. Also called common vetch or gold tare, don't confuse it with related plants, like hairy vetch and cow vetch. As a member of the legume family, garden vetch is a plant that adds nitrogen to your garden soil. This process is known as "fixing" nitrogen and makes it an ideal ground cover for fruit trees. 

Garden vetch is a slender plant that tends to grow in a vining manner, reaching out to nearby plants and objects for support. When grown underneath fruit trees which require high amounts of nitrogen to thrive, garden vetch can be a match made in heaven. If the answer to why your fruit trees aren't growing fruit has nothing to do with its age, it might come down to an improper balance of nutrients. You can fix that balance by "fixing" nitrogen. "Fixing" nitrogen means that bacteria living in the soil takes nitrogen from the air to feed the plant. Nitrogen is one of the nutrients that depletes from soil the quickest, because some species, like fruit trees, use it in such high quantities. But thanks to plants like garden vetch, gardeners can easily add it back.

To grow vetch in your backyard orchard, start seeds in the ground between September and October. Seedlings display oppositely arranged, narrow leaflets in a line, with tendrils forming on the ends of leaves. It will grow in full sun or partial shade, so it works well as a ground cover below trees. The lovely purple flowers of this weedy plant bloom through winter, adding a bright spot to your outdoor space. Bumblebees, butterflies, and other pollinators will seek out the nectar, too. Along with helping fix nitrogen in the soil, garden vetch is a popular way to suppress weeds in springtime around fruit trees. Using vetch as a ground cover lowers the need for herbicides by outcompeting weeds for light and water. 

Fruit trees use lots of nitrogen to produce fruit each season. With the help of garden vetch, you can ensure that the soil surrounding your fruit trees gets nitrogen without the use of synthetic fertilizers. However, it's important to note that vetch is not the perfect pairing for every type of fruit. While it works as great ground cover for fruit trees, vetch can outcompete young strawberry plants. It's definitely not a one of the tips and tricks for growing the tastiest strawberries on the block, and, as a result, you should keep garden vetch near your fruit trees only.