Planting for the Bees

Last year we planted Crimson Clover and the bees really fed off of it. It didn't come back this spring so we plowed up the patch again and reseeded it. It's a strip about 12 feet wide and 100 feet long. It's between the apple trellis I'm building and a row of assorted fruit trees. Here's what it looked like before we started.

We used what equipment we had. I tore up the ground with an old corn cultivator. It did a fair job and didn't turn up too many rocks.

You may notice that "Martha" the tractor doesn't have her hood on. I had to remove it for some engine work. It had been repainted since my father-in-law had owned it and wasn't the "proper" color. The wife insisted that we get her painted right, so the next time you see "Martha" she will sport a solid red hood instead of the red & grey hood she was wearing.
After I had the strip plowed up I ran over it with an old drag disc that I had bought last spring.

After numerous trips over the strip we decided that it was ready for seeding.  We hand spread pelletized lime and the clover seed.

Hopefully I'll be posting pics of happy bees feeding on Crimson Clover tops by mid-summer.