Crimson won’t overwinter up here in the upper Midwest. I just use medium red. It’s cheap if it doesn’t work.
Yep - That is always what I was told as well. But guess what? I went ahead and tried planting it along with my brassicas last year and look what I had this spring...
I am in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - Latitude 45N - Zone 4b and the Crimson Clover over-wintered just fine. I couldn't even find the seed around here so I ordered it from Welters.
Here is what I planted for my 2020 brassica plots:
Land Pride 606NT No-Till Drill
Brassicas 2020 - Drilled July 9th
Large Box:
GH Forage Radish 6#/acre
Small Box:
Purple Top Turnips 1#/acre
Barkant Turnips 1#acre
Appin Forage Turnips 1#/acre
Kestrel Kale 2#/acre
Crimson Clover 2#/acre
Medium Red Clover 2#/acre
Total 9#/acre + Radish = 15#/acre
Large Box Settings for GH Radish:
Drive 2 (Calibrate using Drive 1 next time)
Seed Cup 1 (closed)
Seed Rate - 1 = 6#/acre
Small Box Setting - 43 = 9#/acre
About a month after drilling the brassica/clover mix I broadcasted rye over top of the brassica plants.
The clovers and rye did nothing to detract from the brassicas. The brassicas canopied and the deer devoured them as per usual. The difference is that when I planted stand-alone brassicas before in previous years, there was nothing but bare dirt in those plots in the spring. Here is what my brassica plots looked like this spring when clovers and rye were included in the brassica planting:
Lots of great deer forage...
My soil is covered with a diversity of living roots creating healthy soil conditions...
Did I mention that the deer have been enjoying those clovers all spring and summer?
This is what last year's brassica plots looked like last week when I drilled my fall cover crop into them...
Guess what? I included 2# each of Crimson and Medium Red Clovers in my brassica plantings this year as well.