Hairy Vetch

[Honey's Honey]

I have some troubled spots on my property and I'm thinking about planting hairy vetch to improve the soil but I also want something that's good for the bees. Anyone have any thoughts or experience with the hairy vetch? Is it a good nectar producer? What kind of honey does it make etc.
Thanks in advance.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Best I can tell it makes a nice water white honey and lots of it.

When I disced the vetch area it was very noticeable how the disc would go deeper into the ground. I makes a major soil improvement.

[dragonfly]

My experience with hairy vetch locally is that bees don't work it much. There's probably preferable sources blooming in this area at the same time. It is easy to grow and comes back readily from seed, though.

[mendocino queen honey]

We usually get a nice crop of yellow of white honey from purple, common and hairy vetch. really, our first crop of the year. Has a vanilla/ansise flavor to my palete.

You'd have to plant at least a couple of acres of it to see any of the honey-imo. It is planted by Cal-trans along the highways- i guess to help control erosion.

Matt

[cow pollinater]

In my experiance, hairy vetch has been quite fickle. At one place the bees work it quite well in the mornings and late afternoon but at another place just five miles away they won't touch it even when there is nothing coming in.

[BjornBee]

Hairy and Purple vetch are good nectar sources (Except at Cow pollinator's place. I heard it was fickle.) Crown vetch does not have a nectar source.