Nature's Seed Honey Bee Cover Crop & Pasture Mix - 25 Lb

A drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly pasture blend combining clovers, sainfoin, and wildflowers to support honey bees and grazing livestock. Thrives in low-input conditions across U.S.

Key Benefits:

• Drought Hardy
• Bee Magnet
• High Protein
• Soil Enriching
• 3a-11b

Growing Information:

• Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Soil: Prefers well-drained soils; adaptable from sandy loam to clay loam
• Seeding Rate: 20 Lb/Acre
• Planting Depth: 1/8 to 1/4 inch

Uses: Grazing pasture, bee forage/pollinator strips, cover cropping/green manure, erosion control on slopes, wildlife food plots, ornamental wildflower meadows.

How to Plant:

• Drought Tolerant & Low Input: This blend is highly resilient in dry, low-input conditions. Deep-rooted species like sainfoin and yellow sweetclover access subsoil moisture and nutrients, making the mix drought-hardy and self-sustaining. These legumes also fix nitrogen and improve soil health over time. Sainfoin, in particular, stays green during summer heat and produces abundant nectar for pollinators, making it both practical and pollinator-friendly in semi-arid regions, with little to no irrigation required.
• Pollinator & Wildlife Value: The Honey Bee Pasture Mix supports a large variety of pollinators with a continuous supply of nectar and pollen. Flowers bloom in succession from early spring to late fall, ensuring steady food for honey bees, native bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. It includes plants like sainfoin, white and crimson clovers, which are trusted forage for honeybees. Deer and elk browse the legumes, and birds feed on seeds from coneflower and coreopsis. It’s a multifunctional pasture that nourishes pollinators, wildlife, and livestock alike.
• Forage Quality : The Honey Bee Pasture Mix provides safe, high-quality forage for livestock. Its legumes—sainfoin, clovers, and sweetclover—offer excellent protein. For example, white clover can reach ~28% crude protein, supporting strong weight gain and milk production. Unlike pure clover stands, bloat risk is reduced thanks to sainfoin, a non-bloating legume. Sainfoin is especially palatable—often preferred over alfalfa—and stays green into summer.
• Improves Soil Health: This seed blend doesn’t just feed pollinators and livestock—it also feeds the topsoil. Deep-rooted plants like sweetclover and sainfoin break up compacted soil, improve aeration, and pull nutrients from deep layers to the surface. Clovers and low-growing wildflowers form dense root mats that anchor topsoil and prevent erosion, even on slopes. These legumes also naturally fix up to 100–150 lbs of nitrogen per acre annually, enriching the soil without synthetic inputs. Over time, Honey Bee Pasture Mix builds healthier, more fertile, and erosion-resistant ground.

Product Specifications:

• Weight: 25 lb
• Coverage: 50,000 sq ft
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 11b

Nature's Seed products are grown and processed in the USA. All seed is tested for purity and germination rates to meet or exceed industry standards.