#clover #legume #soilhealth ✅ Please do your own research before eating wild plants as some may pose risk to one’s health. Thank you. Have you ever tasted wild clover flowers? When I was young my told us they were edible and we would eat the sweet blossoms. The stems, leaves, and seed pods are edible as well. Clover (Trifolium repens) should not be consumed in large amounts. The nodules on clover ☘️ roots are formed by a soil-dwelling bacterium 🦠 called, rhizobium (pl. rhizobia) These microorganisms live in the rhizosphere, which is the area around the roots of plants. They thrive by colonizing roots via inoculation (introduction to rhizobium). Leguminous (Fabaceae) plants such as clover, peas, beans, lupine, alfalfa, vetch, and peanuts have a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia. The bacteria extracts atmospheric nitrogen and converts into a usable form plants can utilize which is stored in the nodules. In return, the bacteria feed from exudates that plants secrete through their roots, which may consist of sugars, carbohydrates or protein. If you are planting legumes or other nitrogen fixing plants to supplement the soil, cut them back when they are just starting to flower. The nitrogen levels in the nodules are at their peak during this phase making it the perfect time to release into the soil. If a plant is left to mature to bear fruit, it will use up most, if not all of the nitrogen stored to support fruit and seed production. Happy Gardening!💚🌱💚🌱