My Deer Garden

Planting Crimson Clover for deer

Trifolium incarnatum

Cool season

Deer hit this hard. That is the point.

Seeding rate
15 to 20 lb
per acre, broadcast
Minimum plot
0.25 acre
smaller gets browsed out
Plant
Late summer to early fall

Rates are broadcast figures. Drilling runs roughly a third lower. These are starting points from extension guidance and have not yet been re-checked against a second source per record, so treat them as indicative and soil test before you buy seed.

Type
Food plot forage
Hardiness
Zones 5–9
Light
Full sun
Height
12–36 in
Bloom
Spring
Maintenance
Low
Family
Fabaceae

About Crimson Clover

An annual clover that establishes faster than ladino and produces heavily in spring before dying off in early summer heat. Useful as a nurse crop, as a spring draw, and on ground you intend to rotate.

More forgiving on acidity than white clover, which matters on unlimed ground where a soil test comes back at 5.5 and you do not want to wait a year for lime to work.

Broadcast at 15 to 20 lb per acre, heavier than ladino because the seed is much larger.

It reseeds itself if you let it flower and set seed before mowing, which is the cheap way to keep a plot going. Mow too early and you have bought a one-season crop.

Protecting Crimson Clover

Deer will destroy this without protection, so the question is which kind you are willing to pay for.

  1. 1How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
  2. 2What a deer fence costsMaterial ratios are stable even when prices are not, and installation reliably doubles the figure.
  3. 3Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
  4. 4Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5.5 to 7
Drainage
Well drained
Water
Moderate
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Low

Where Crimson Clover grows

Hardy across 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Crimson Clover

What is the seeding rate for Crimson Clover?
Broadcast 15 to 20 lb per acre. Drilled rates run roughly a third lower. Soil test before buying seed, because pH matters more to the outcome than the rate does.
When should I plant Crimson Clover?
Late summer to early fall. It is a cool-season crop, so the window is set by your average first frost rather than by the month.
How big does a Crimson Clover plot need to be?
About 0.25 acres as a realistic floor. Below that, deer graze the crop faster than it establishes and you get bare ground instead of forage. Local deer density moves this number more than anything else.
Do deer actually eat Crimson Clover?
Frequently Severely Damaged on the four-step damage scale, which measures how heavily deer feed on a plant. On an ornamental that is a warning. On a food plot crop it is the specification.
What hardiness zones does Crimson Clover grow in?
Crimson Clover is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
How big does Crimson Clover get?
Mature height is roughly 12–36 in. Growth rate is fast.

Browse from here

Every list Crimson Clover belongs to.

Deer favorites·Full sun plants·Food plot crops

Hardy in these zones

Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .